Playing Prepared Us for Love

Leapfrog
over and over and over
like children in puddles
who stomp
and silly like
cotton candy and rhyming
and jump rope
and tic-tac-toe
it's fever and frolic
and hiding with seeking
and jogging around
for a romp
tisking and tasking
and red rover asking
it's like childhood on repeat
and tag in the woods
it's playful and silly
and thrown in the grass
hopscotch
and marbles and sandbox love
it's marshmellows roasting
and water balloons
it's tickle fights
and sleepovers
and tug-o-war
like campfire songs
and birthday cakes
it's magic in sugary treats
sandcastles
and mountains made out of mud
it's kites, and bikes, and swings
like childhood on repeat
and lessons we learned
that's what prepares us for love
the silly, the summers, the days after school
the playgrounds and backyards
and breaking of rules
it's like snowballs and children
who leap off of slides
and tackle each other in wildflowers
we were all playing at love
and learning joy


By Elizabeth Azpurua 3/26/10