Suburban Lost Boys

Community: Part 2

Hello, Poets & Poetry Lovers!

This is Part 2 of a six-part poetry exchange between me and the Substack poet’s poet,

Brian Funke

of Poetry & Process. The theme for this exchange was Community. Brian started us off with his poem, I used to love. Below is my response to that poem.

A newsletter will be published daily for six days, exploring different aspects of Community, each publication responding to and building on the prior piece from the collaborating artist. Read along and consider your own community with themes of childhood, friendship, love, broken community, leaving and returning, solitude, nature, searching, parenting, and promises.

I hope you enjoy this collaborative effort on Community.

Community: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

Screenshot of Suburban Lost Boys to preserve the formatting

Suburban Lost Boys

In the summertime we became feral,
drinking from hoses, riding bikes,
entertaining cute lifeguards, 
and racing the sun home. 
We summited hills
and stuffed our mouths 
full of gum
without 
cares
about
our safety,
melanoma,
or cholesterol. 
We all loved each other
without having to say it,
and debated the mysteries:
Girls, Philosophy, and Depeche Mode.

Listen to me read Suburban Lost Boys below:

Poet’s Notes

March 27, 20204, revised April 10, 2024

Part two of “An exchange” with Brian Funke on community, in response to I used to love. Something about the way Brian wrote, “wandering with other lone wolves” made me think about summers as a teen in the suburbs before helicopter parenting existed.

Thanks for reading!

Be the poetry you want to see in the world!

Cheers,