Do you remember Mexico? How old were we then, twelve? That place was so loved It smelled like dust and slow-cooked beans We caught a toad We painted dorms El Sauzal, the willow, the willow A beaten-up concrete playground Bright, yellow sun Red, sticky Fanta Worn-in smiles adjusting to the smell of strangers I fell in love with a Mexican boy We didn't even play soccer together Watched a movie in a language neither of us spoke Climbed trees with leaves that needed a rake Cleaned a nursery room Told scary stories around a red campfire Letting the world seep into our veins Saw the dolphins when we camped at the beach Named and re-named the tick-ridden dogs The water was wetter The air was headier The sun shined more unrelentingly, more heavenly The blisters harder-won The rain more of a blessing The life so much more tangible and delicious