Before
by Matt Randall

I still remember that summer
the hot June days eating blackberries
on your mother’s back porch
paying no attention to the clouds
slowly gathering like old women at a garage sale

in that world
our days were full of all play and no work
a make-believe world of no bills or jobs
disturbed only by the occasional scrape
of a bicycle crash.

Matt Randall has written everything from technical documents and real estate articles to science-fiction and sestinas. He is also the co-founder of PegLeg Publishing, a small independent publishing company in Oklahoma City, and co-editor if GlassFire Magazine. When he’s not writing and editing, Matt enjoys reading, spending time at IHOP, and collecting gnomes.