Joey

Joey and I
Were best friends
When I lived
In San Diego.
We were just
Two normal kids
Out to live life
To the fullest,
But looking back on it,
We must have
Terrorized our parents
As well as
Our neighbors
In the process.
I don’t think
The two of us
Were overly rebellious,
Just mischievous.
We had fun
Testing the limits
Of what was allowed
And seeing how much
We could get away with.
The local canyons
And storm drains
Might not have
Been so attractive,
Or so enticing,
Had we been permitted
To go there.
As it was,
They became
Our playground.
We always wondered
How far and how fast
We could go
And tried to test
Those limits as well.
We used to race bicycles
And home-built go-karts
Down the neighborhood hills
At breakneck speeds.
We risked our lives
Careening around corners,
Playing “chicken”
With any cars
We encountered.
I watch the kids today
Practicing tricks
On their skate boards,
And I see reflections of
Joey and myself in them.