my family reunions by liz snader

My family reunions by Elizabeth Snader

As we drove through the woods in my tiny car,

The late morning sun shone like

The sparkle of glitter on a pretty rave girl’s face-

Glowing with the colors of the rainbow-

Purple, pink, orange, yellow, green, blue.

We get to the fork in the trail 2.3 miles

From the highway; from civilization.

The directions tell us to go right

At the fork, follow the road for .7 miles-

Stay left when you see mile marker 3-

Continue .8 miles and the parking

Will be on the left-we can see the signs. We arrive.

We slowly remove ourselves from the tiny car.

Every last one of us gets out and stretches

Into their pockets to get a cigarette and lighter.

That long ass ride can sometimes be stressful.

Hugging all the friends we haven’t seen

In a few weeks-since the last show-

It feels like it’s been ages since I last saw

Those people-those people that made me fall in love

With everything about the scene-the people,

The charm, the music, the feelings, the rush-

All of this packed into a 24 hour period.

Once all the “Hellos” have been given,

We look at one another and find the energy

To unpack the car and set up camp

For the night-just for one night shall we

Shine with the stars and sway with the trees-

For that one time we are connected as one

Body, one soul, one free floating community,

Put together in a 24 hour period and gone

Just as soon as it began-memories

Fill the air-the stench of pot and musty cigarettes plague my nasal region-

People begin to pack up to go back

Home to real life. These bonds-

Delicate and temporary-build our lives

To what they are now-complicated and

Filled with chaos- but it’s all worth it.

I get one night with my family- the

People who love me for my soul-

One night is all I need to feel

Like I have been reborn into a new perspective.

To take that with me is the gift I am given

Every time I go to a rave.

This is more than anyone could ever ask for

And it is something I am given for free.

I will never forget-these days are eternal and forever

Held in my heart and in my mind-

Just to be played back for future remembrance

Of the people who made me who I am today.