Kullen Burnet

Men’s Night Doubles

I remember walking across the empty tennis courts
Listening to the drunken sounds of adult revelry
Mingling amongst the shadowed palm trees
And chlorine soaking my hair making it
Shine under the moon.

I remember laughing and screaming and chasing
And crawling underneath strangers’ cars,
Going behind buildings to eat bags of barbecue chips
Bought with tickets and licking summer off my hands
And wiping the remnants on shorts that I would wear
Past their prime.

I remember you.

We ran around each other that night saying we didn’t like each other
But yet we ended up married behind a soda machine anyway.
I forgot who the priest was, maybe my sister,
Or maybe that boy who had a crush on my sister?
That whole night is so fizzy that I can’t see all the stars straight.

I remember jumping into the pool
Opening my eyes under water because that was bravery.
Looking at the bottom and knowing that it ended somewhere.
Coming up for air and seeing nothing but light and dark
And people and the sounds of racquets and exhausted breath.

It was lovely
And I was lovely
And time wasn’t an enemy yet
And maybe someday
We can be friends again. ♦

If you want to submit some of your own poetry (or anything!) to Rookie please email it to [email protected].