Born

I remember pizza and play houses
Slap on bracelets and bead lizards
High tops and the smell of dinner cooking on a cold Halloween night,
but I can't remember being born.

I remember scrambled porn and VHS tapes
Lazer tag and pinball machines
TV's with knobs and public stations airing people dressed up as Polkaroo,
but I can't remember being born.

I remember Fred Penner and his guitar
"Tree Houses" made out of trees but not in them
Rope burn from swing set traps
Rose of Sharon with scarab beetles and earwigs in blossoms
Lego sets in all their boxed glory
Toy swords, shields, handcuffs, batons, armor and guns guns guns,
but I can't remember being born.

I remember big black cooking tins overflowing with Moussaka on winter nights
Small plastic cups running out of kool-aid on hot summer days
Power rangers and cartoon babies plotting against adults
Backyard garden lunch because my mom accidentally locked us out
Ditches with mud, crayfish and frogs
Half eaten bee twitching in my funnel spider's web,
but I can't remember being born.

I remember a president with the same last name as the kid who used to bully me
That president's son invading Iraq the day I left for vacation
Sweaty Silverdome conventions in ties
Cheep neon 80's camo pants which faded in the wash
Refrigerator boxes turned into forts for play
Headaches from pizza scented Gak and Floam
Super soaker fights in downed trees from storms
My Italian neighbor and his homemade wine
My American neighbor and their micro-waved food
A Girl I used to know who lived over there
A Boy I used to know who lived behind there
A Family I used to know who lived right here,
but I can't remember being born.

I remember cough syrup visions in vommmit puddle
Adolescent make out sessions under overturned inflatable pool boat
Ghost under the stairs in Grandma's three story Ferndale home
Nervous feelings before Pesudo Christian baptism ceremony
Home schooled afternoons spent sugar-buzz-masturbating and Stratocaster playing
Dead birds with no Xs in their eyes, only maggots
Wisdom-teeth-pulled Vicodin-induced stomach aches
Homeopathic sugar pills during body aching flu spasms
Getting "caught" smoking marijuana while coming up on my first ayahuasca brew
Rubber cement needle bricks in face form careless running
Late night Ikean stories of lizard people under the flicker of CRT
Watching The Matrix for the first time on an old TV through PS2 DVD player
Waking up to burning buildings on TV twice
Waking up my Grandmother saying "Maybe Armageddon is starting!" once
My dick turning into a snake while on bluing fungi, also once
Snow dragons made from packed wintery mix
Piles of leaves raked up just to be scattered again
Spectacular Florida rides for legal intoxicating tourist amusement
Creepy kids dancing around with a creepy purple dinosaur
Fear of fear and fear of life
Wet eye trance writhing under seas of blankets
Plastic toy guitars with nylon strings you could not tune
I remember all of these things and so much more,
but I can't remember being born.