intermezzo

we were born in an empty town. you looked out from the backseat. laughed at the people staring out from behind their faces. took long walks down long streets. faces brown and glistening from the sun. tried to keep up with your friends. half in the ditch. half on the sidewalk. the boys would be boys. fell through roofs. teased the girls until they cried. peeked through cracks in doors. wrapped ourselves up in sweaters. pretended to be teenagers. pretended to be adults. snuck into theatres. discovered john lennon. got drunk for the first time. got high for the first time. sat in trees. made lemonade on barmy days. outgrew our clothes. outgrew our friends. skipped school. courted trouble. bummed about in dead shopping malls. slept with other people. watched as the planes took off and landed. somewhere along the line we grew up. somewhere along the line we grew old.