On a patchwork quilt we laid our russet backs
As the scorching summer day slowly ebbed.
Into velvet blackness we watched shooting stars
Burn out like our hesitations in the jewel-flecked web.

We brushed the speargrass from our clothes,
And plucked cockleburs from our feet,
With sugary smiles we told dirty jokes,
As we watched our candy stash deplete.

You wore a red flannel shirt that night,
And spoke modestly of future tattoos,
You talked about beer, and bulls and bait,
And of your favorite tobacco chew.

You called me crazy for hating watermelon,
And dared me to try homemade moonshine,
You inquired if I’d ever been snipe hunting,
And promised to take me sometime.

But that night we just laid on our russet backs
As the scorching summer day slowly ebbed.
And into velvet blackness we watched shooting stars
Burn out like our hesitations in a jewel-flecked web.