Owen Stroud

how did we
get here in Tennessee
noonday sun
early summer breeze
your arm around
your brother looking down
yellow roses
piled on a mound

and you’re not asking why life had to end this way
just why it has to end at all

when did we
learn to be brave
we never had a need
to bond over pain
it was all Cincinnati fire kites
rough-and-tumble games
backyard camper on a Friday night
when the heat was 98

and we’re not asking why life has to hurt this way
just why it has to hurt at all
we never saw ourselves as bracing for the pain
just building love to break the fall

all the times we swapped our secrets in the dark
barely whispering our words
racing on the field at Milburn Park
kicking up the patchy turf
digging tunnels in the sand
just to see how long they’d stand
is this what we did it for
is this what we did it for

seems likes it all
comes down to this
like turning leaves
and smoky wisps
we build upon
a bygone day
if I share the past 
then too the pain

and we’re not asking why life has to hurt this way
just why it has to hurt at all
we never saw ourselves as bracing for the pain
just building love to break the fall
just building love to break the fall