Poems in Progress: Friends from Your Twenties

Sometimes, even when sober, a rush would
Run through us, and, before we knew who did
It first, we were all diving in the mud
Between the dorm and dining hall—throwing
Mud, raising arms toward the sky and letting
The rain drip down our face, sliding across
The seemingly vast expanse of life.

And then in community showers we’d
Wash ourselves as clean as we could before
Hopping into someone’s car and heading
West off over the rolling hills onto
Some new adventure.

Often, we would end
Up drinking again in some dorm room when
We got back. Stories would be told about
Who had done what, and love would rile us up
Into pairs;

But there were the good nights too:
Singing group songs at the top of our lungs,
Holding each other together in one
Giant circle, dancing off into early
Morning moonlight to watch the sunrise.

Sometimes I miss my friends from my twenties;
Sometimes I miss the uninhibited
Abandon that comes with not knowing
Yourself very much but knowing a group
Of people even more; sometimes I dream
About sunrises…