Midsummer Night's Dream

Grass under my bare feet,
Two brothers and a sister by my side.
I look past the holes in the backyard fence,
Knowing that not far away is the boy and girl that made me the victim of their love's hit-and-run.

A hammock swings, occupied.
Every exhale is noticeably tinged with the smells of beer.
But it is my older sister who is glowing.
It is a comfort to her knowing we are here.

Walking inside,
The cake has been neatly dissected with only a few flipped over casualties;
Those pieces are simply left unclaimed and rejected.
Champlain is being poured as the young couple smiles.
The rest of the family and I pour a glass, getting a nice buzz on for awhile. 

We stand in the corner of the kitchen;
Politely shaking hands with the men and woman who claim to know us.
We reminisce; laughing a great deal.

Our stomachs mumble as strength leaves us.
Everyone is leaving.
The busy mother of the bride wraps up to go bags for those who depart early.
The father of the bride is nowhere in sight.

Glass shatters; an heirloom is broken.
Fortunately, my oldest brother puts himself out there for me, taking the blame.
Beer cans drop on the floor,
And it is laughs all around.
How very little there is to worry about.  

I've never liked lasagna.
Until I ate it in the dark.

There is a very high possibility that I will never love a lasagna as much as I loved that one.

All other guests have finally cleared out.
Leaving just a jumpy mother and the rest of my siblings.
I came to terms along time ago that this man would one day become my brother.

The backyard is lit with dangling lights.
Candles illuminate the tables.
We eat in the darkness; but not in silence.  

Pandora takes the role of entertainment.
It is an endless cycle of the songs I grew up with.
Jackets and coats engulfed all of us,
While I caught the table on fire.

The croaking of frogs make us feel like we are in a different time and place,
Occasionally knocking back another cold one,
We would tell another story.
I'd give anything to have stayed forever, in that moment.
Everything was perfect.

It was a midsummer night's dream.