Once my parents
threw a barbeque party 
in the backyard
they had a water fight
after drinking a while
they were drunk
and young 
early thirties
they threw cups 
of water at one another
my father ran in
& got the salad bowl
some really drunk friend
of theirs got the garden hose
people were laughing
dousing each other 
my brother and I
watched from a distance
we weren't included
we were too little
after a while we went inside
we were hyper & bored
we ran through all the rooms 
we happened to open a drawer
in my parent's bedroom
& found a pack of condoms
we didn't know what they were
being 4 & 7 
so we opened them
we took the weird 
greasy balloons 
& filled them with water
& hung them from
3 closet doors 
then we found a pin
& popped them all
we left the puddles on the floor
& ragged stretched rubbers
hanging from the doorknobs
& went out to play on the front lawn
I'm 37 this year 
older than they were then
& I imagine my mother & father
finding the condoms & laughing
not even annoyed at the
water on the floor
just throwing a towel down
under each door
& giggling 
& then kissing 
maybe even risking
unprotected sex 
on that cool summer night
drunk & young
& easy at heart 

© 2008 by Rob Plath. All rights reserved.