i crave
that fountain
of youth
you can
find in
every park
on every
corner in
the city
even tho
i only
wanna
dip my
toes in
taking a
chance
knowing
damn
well J
just had
the illness
that’s had
our whole
planet in
shambles
the past
4 years—
not just the
big cities
a common
cold at
this point
i had a
cold in
kindergarten
and i
turned out
just fine
very different
from childhood
trauma which
i never had
at least not
that i can
remember
i remember
getting colds
tho and how
necessary it
felt to take
cold showers
all weekend
because we
were melting
in the
apartment
and it’s
even worse
in the
streets
the streets
were melting!!!
we go
skating
and my
wheels
sink into
the soft
asphalt, we
all laugh
and they ask
what happened
and i say
it was the
dumb asphalt
i completely
forgot it was
go skate day
(i think we
all forgot)
but we
don’t care
cause it’s
just what
we do
it’s all
we know
we know
nothing
else
we split
tompkins in
half and i
watch a
kid try to
kickflip the
can for at
least an
hour in his
soaking
wet baggy
jeans
hit the deli
with N for
water but
accidentally
end up
with this
fucked up
corndog
in my hand
right before
it found
itself in my
stomach
all gurglin
and what
not
when we
said it was
the longest
day of the
year idk if
we really
knew we’d
end up
at an art
show with
free beer
and of
course JR
was down
to rack
a backpack
full that
we’d never
end up
drinking
cause JR’d
disappear
and the
beers went
hot anyway
i might
ask JR
to translate
this poem
into spanish
so more
homies
can read it
caught up
with Big
Dog on
the street
and he
told J
about this
crazy job
opportunity
and J said
to chill
out about
it but i
don’t believe
in jinxing
and besides
if it is real
(jinxing)
then putting
it in this
poem was
the ultimate
jinx but i
think he’s
got it just
like i thought
T had the
ride on crook
earlier at
tompkins
and guess
what, he
got it
the rest
of the
night was
as long
as you’d
imagine
but also
as quick
as you’d
imagine
as soon
as J
popped
the first
modelos
we were
in the back
of the
sushi bar
vibing
with T for
Joe’s bday
then eating
green deli
with all the
homies
on the steps
before we
all said,
goodnight
see you
tomorrow
at the
beach
and then
it was
tomorrow
at the
beach
and we
built a
graveyard
on the
beach
to bask
and skate
and bask
and skate
until the
sky cracked
open and
it dumped
on us and
all the
homies
skated
back to
Ichi’s van
in the
pouring
rain
while
J and i
walked
our
happy asses
back to
the train
seemingly
everyone
napped
after the
beach
cept me
so i
chilled
in seward
with the
lightening
bugs and
got a fig
bar from
the deli
because
it’s my
daughter’s
favorite
snack and
i miss the
hell outta
her and
the fig
bar made
me feel
better
it really did
J wakes
up and
we hit
FMN
for steak
frites and
talk
about maybe
hitting a
movie but
just not
Jackass
at the
Roxy
cause
we grew up
watching
that shit
just not
at the
Roxy
on the
walk back
to the crib
on Catherine
J threw
a bottle
into a
pile of
trash but
it fell out
and he
said, its
better
that way
so someone
can easily
collect it
to trade
in for
money
sunday
morning
and i’m
on the
courts
staring
at the
cross
before
we link
at pallets
to bike
to blue
park
pull up
to an
empty
canvas
just
waiting
for all
the homies
to get
there and
fire it
up not
realizing
Ichi’s
ready to
ride on
walls
that are
meant
to just
say, hey
i’m a
building
JR infects
us with
his energy
and is
talking
about the
poet, Keats,
and i forget
why but
i remember
someone
leaving and
JR starts
yelling some
shit in
spanish that
none of us
understand
but we all
laugh
anyway
cause we
know it’s
funny
cause
it’s JR
this is
the part
where
the homies
split and
everyone
goes back
into their
own world
and we
talk about
when
we’ll do
it again
and i’m
thinking
to myself,
we’ll
never be
able to
do this
weekend
again
and that’s
OK cause
it’s impossible
to do the
same exact
weekend
twice and
that’s what’s
beautiful
about life
K still
has to
tattoo
T just
like J
and i
still have
to hit
the arcade
and the
reason
we had to
is bc
sometimes
you need
a little
reminder
of why
someone
is your
best friend
and in
the arcade
i realized
there’s no
one else
i’d rather
be in the
arcade
with than
J playing
DDR like
we’re in
the 6th
grade
last nite
up the
stairs
we saw
an old ac
in the
trash pile
and thought
about taking
it to use for
the night (not
knowing if it
worked) and
the next
morning
when i
left their
apartment
to fly home
the ac was
still there
and i still
didn’t know
if it worked
and now i’ll
never know
but i do
know how
sticky
it get
