Circle Of Friends Poem by Chris Ernest Nelson

Barefoot in soft grass under a smiling sun,
with warm hands holding warm hands
... and eyes that say, 'I love you'
without knowing what such words mean.

Each burst of laughter sustains the circle
and drives the engine of absolute
satisfaction. And when they fall
they all fall together, but only to embrace.

Laughing all the while and calling names
with mock contempt to knit the circle
once again. Every other one without
regard, grandly offering to lift his friend.

In the night before mothers call them home,
they lay shoulder to shoulder in perfect
symmetry. All eyes fixed on stars
and secure in their proximity of being.