Things were so much better in middle school
when Astoria Park was like Eden
because in my Eden
the boys are cute,
with awkward middle school haircuts,
band tees and skate shoes
in my Eden water balloon fights
are regular entertainment
and the rocky shores of the East River
littered with disintegrating porn magazines,
soda cans, and empty 25 cent bags of chips,
became our "spot"
a place to hang out, to have first kisses
on those warm spring days
all we needed was a one dollar slice of pizza
maybe a snow cone
if when you're a freshman in college, the conventional date
is a movie, maybe dinner
then, it was sharing a snowcone
an ongoing battle of who'd get to eat the red and blue parts
a game of caution, as to not let the rainbow drips
stain your shirt
playful pushing and pulling
holding hands even when in competition,
a balancing act
it was impossible to ever finish the whole thing
in the flirty, innocent tug o war
it would end up on the sidewalk, or in the grass
all the colors melting into a purple pool
but it was ok,
because kisses always tasted better after a snowcone
a chemical, icy-sweet taste
that I can still almost feel
because my nostalgia is bordering on synesthetic.
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