Walker Avenue

The air smelled of honeysuckle
and motor oil mixed together
creating a fragrance that stung
my nose as I stepped off the sidewalk.
My pants were frayed at the bottom,
picking up bits of fresh tar
as they swished over the top of my shoes.

My feet hit the ground heavily,
propelling me forward
up the lazy suburban avenue.
The wheels of a new skateboard
bought with cash from my first
high school job making pizzas,
moved slightly as the wind picked up.

Hair whipped into my face as I bent down,
dropping the board onto the ground.
The top of Walker Avenue.
I stood and looked down
at all the houses dotting the street.
Countless driveways with minivans
and basketballs hoops decorating them.
My house calling from the bottom.

My left foot rocked the board
forward and backward
until I ground my foot
into the concrete. Taking off
faster than I had ever gone
in anything besides a car.
My body felt free and tight.
Fearful with adrenaline rushing
through every vein, but balanced
and secure. My eyes focused
on my house as it got larger
with each passing second.

The gravel tempting to trip
the wheels, rocketing them sideways,
but never losing balance
until I hit the grass and crashed
my body onto the manicured lawn.

Groundhog Day

Just months after we met you bought a bulldog
and named him Jack. You called him a chick magnet
and walked him each day on campus by yourself.
When I asked you to buy him a flea collar
you grumbled and told me he didn't have fleas.

We met last year on groundhog day, laughing
at our own shadows and chuckling about
how winter was never going to end because
we didn't know the rules of groundhog day
or whether seeing our shadow was good or not.
We smiled and watched our featureless shadows fade
as the sky became cloudy and it snowed
on our hands that were clenched tightly together.

Now as Jack scratches fitfully by my toes
and whines at me, keeping me awake,
I sit up next to you in bed and watch
the hair dance on your arm in rhythmic time
with the turning of the fan's metal blades and
the little black fleas jump around Jack's ears
and I watch his toenails scrape into his skin.