So You Wanted a Happy Poem

I remember sitting in the passenger seat of a Dodge outside my high school waiting for the first bell to ring
Listening to the radio, watching my first love while he was napping
And thinking he looked like an angel from heaven
And knowing I would die for him.

I remember a random summer afternoon fading to evening, sitting in my favorite tree
In a bright golden bar of sunlight while the wind rustled the leaves
And thinking 'this is what life is for'
And knowing I didn't need anything more.

I remember a first kiss on a second date on the big flat rock jutting out of the Brandywine after the canoers paddled by
While we watched the June sun descend the sky
And thinking that could be the rest of my life
And knowing that would be just fine.

I remember long drives down open roads and parking lots under star-speckled skies and endless summer evenings playing make-believe games.
I remember dancing under the blue light and cabins at the ends of dirt roads and timeless stretches when no two days were exactly the same.

I remember nights not talking, not drinking, but watching old game shows, lunch hours asking questions with answers no one knows, and blowing bubbles or lighting sparklers on the front porch all alone.

I remember cards dealt across tables with ripped vinyl tops, board games and movies with friends when we feared the laughter wouldn't stop but go on laughing, still laughing, laughing until we dropped or our hearts popped from all the love we held inside.

And thinking they were the happy times.
And knowing... nevermind.
You asked for a happy poem.

081208