Boyhood

Boys carry their snow sleds up, up to the highest peak scaling risk their voices pitched chattering noise of expectation frozen giddiness on snow packed hills boys belly flop onto plastic sleighs bubble-headed jauntiness launches them lunging down, down bewildering "swish" of speed smashing white drifts projectiles scattered boys tossed in snowbanks like pizza dough spinning baked together in joy pushing the balance of extreme runs repeated brash, blunt, bold epic span of freedom ignoring downfalls from ill timed moves in a lost sense of direction gleefully tired snow flecked boys wheeze the icy air make their way home their talk clotted with bravado beneath it, the unspoken promise to never tire of boyhood in twilight, the slopes gleam gouged by sled marks that clear a path for growth targeted direction and if boys fall from the path are there souls who'll notice? when ruts threaten when sleds teeter in unruly spaces Poem composed February 2, 2022