Monday, December 30, 2013

POEM - Tempe or Bust in 1987

I was ready to go
When the news came
Dad was getting transferred
Back to the land from which
We had been exiled
Just four years previous

I was insensitive to some
Too excited for another change
To care which bridges were burning
Which hearts I was breaking
But the climate had become harsh
On a purely metaphysical level
And my Gypsy blood
Had been percolating of late
Seeking the change of scenery
The breaking of bonds
Loosening of well tied knots
That would free me from Tucson
And my longest home town to date

Besides the fates demanded
That I arrive back in Tempe
That particular summer
With that particular outlook
Breaking free of the past
Looking for a future

I was early to the dance
Like I always was
She was early too
Like she never was
And I caught her eye
And when we danced
It was exciting and new
Pure and drama free
No context
Simple

We returned to the same street
Just a block over
And we had a pool
For the first time
Since moving to Hell’s Doorstep
And when I invited her over
Oblivious of the burden
That a pool party implied
She came any way

Stayed and talked
Watch me skateboard
Displaying tricks
And self-absorption
She saw through it and stayed

A little longer still



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