dared and won

he was new and slick and young and stupid

I was old and rusty and jaded and smart

disaster loomed like a raincloud over a chalky hopscotch game

we dared to buck any odds against chemistry and charisma

but I can’t lie

there was a sweetness too

that couldn’t be helped

couldn’t be fought

devotion won the day

if not the war

so we plodded along with our messy frolic

both happy to be stupid and risky and sated and rich

like betting board-game money except this was real

and we had dared and won