"Olly Olly Oxen Free"

We were young, only six as I recall, 

when you moved to the neighborhood.

I was an ‘only,’ but you were the middle 

child of three. You had the biggest

yard. We would gravitate there:

the 'big' kids, the 'little' kids, and us. 

I learned how to ride a bike on yours,

up and down in front of your house.

In the summer, we played from dawn to dusk

—croquet, Red Rover, frozen tag, Wave Me Out—

shooed home by your parents before it got dark.

I was the wild child of the three friends,

Never bad, but a bit undisciplined.

It didn’t matter. Our common ground

defied our differences. You never judged.

The friendship we have is indelible; 

time, distance, age and death­ are all inevitable

but the bonds we form in youth are unbreakable;

you have been, and will always be, my friend.

 

© Ginny Brannan 2024

NaPoWriMo Day 6: Writers.com prompt: Think of a memory where the details aren’t clear. Fill in the details in a poem.

"Wave Me Out" is a hybrid take on Hide and Seek. No one I know has really ever heard of it, and yet I know we played it. I "googled" it, and sure enough found it! See #4 "Secret Wave" in link "Hide and Seek Variations"

It's April. This is for E. Loved and missed.