we would play kick the can under yard lights
on summer nights when city kids would be filling cars
to drive to hill tops to find themselves
by city lights
in the eyes of partners too shy to say no
we’d hide in lilac bushes
just past blooming
but still fragrant somehow,
waiting til shadows passed
to run to the coffee can
under the light
so we wouldn’t have to be “it”
i’d hold my breath
always
before i ran
as if this was more about life and death
and less about killing time in places where
we only piled in truck beds to help neighbors hay,
leaving passions to the city kids
who had time for such things
cuz we were too busy
holding our breaths before running for home.
r. l. elke
This is amazing.
thank you so much
I love the tension here. You can feel it throughout, and the specifics really make it grounding and real:
“we’d hide in lilac bushes
just past blooming
but still fragrant somehow,”
– I know exactly what you mean here.
thank you. there really is something about lilacs and how they continue to live in a space, fully fragrant, even after the blossoms leave us.
I really enjoy your poetry.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read it. I really appreciate it.
I love the story here, it really pulls you in. Like Caitlin said, the line about the fragrant lilac bushes – I get exactly what you mean and it pulled up such a strong image for me. Great job!