Fingers through fences

pecked and nibbled

and bitten

by chickens,

beagle pups,

and bunnies.

We were

bare-chested,

blonde and tan

and we ran

barefoot and

we ran hard

turning green grass

brown and

flattening the yard  

until the ground was hard-packed

like pavement.

Mom and Dad never had nice things,

a tidy house,

an immaculate lawn

because we three boys

were so filled up

with destructive love

pushing and shoving

laughing and hollering

that it was impossible for us

to slow down,

so windows got busted,

plaster cracked,

and treasures

met their fate.

Oh the damage

little boys

can do.