Forty-Two Years

I'm not naming names, and I'm not saying where it happened, but on this day in 1974 I had the best first kiss I've ever had, or ever will have. We never stayed together for more than a few months but I still remember your daughter. You told me she was your niece but I never bought that. Why? Did you think I couldn't handle it?
I'm really sorry it ended that way. I hope you're happy, 'cos I am. Peace.

Early In The Morning

One day you wake up

and see you have more dead friends

than live ones. It sucks.

September Is A Friday Night

The sky is dark and empty, no gulls. No foot steps wasted in the Brooklyn night. September asks my business here. When I tell her, "I want to watch the sand smooth out with no human footprints," she asks me, "But won't you miss that?" I probably will, but at least there will probably be some light when I land in the ferry slip on Governor's Island, the cool autumn waves no deeper than the end of my life.

September Again

The sun disappeared again today, a little earlier. The hurricane is coming. Right now it's off  the Outer Banks, throwing water and sand at Kitty Hawk, but it will be here soon enough.

And the salt spray tastes like autumn, and the sunset is shining off the shallow water in the ferry slip on Governor's Island. You could wade there, it's only knee deep. If you don't mind trying to outrun a ferry boat.

Dead soldiers from Vermont meet their friends from Mississippi, they never realized they were friends til  it was way too late. Now the salt water washes through the bullet holes, and the blood is mixed with the salt in Buttermilk Channel.

The bodies are dried out, hauled to the cemetery, laid under stones of blue or grey. Does it matter which?

Almost The End Of August

Soon the woods will smell of burning twigs, and the ashes of a pine tree that was borne when Abraham Lincoln was president.

But in the meantime it's still warm in the afternoon, and the goldenrod wavers softly.

It reminds me of a day at Rye Playland near the end of the twentieth century, when we spent the day on the beach and the evening in the amusement park. I told Joy that if I took her there, two things would happen. First I would win her a tacky prize in the arcade. And second she would get groped in the tunnel of love. I made good on both promises.

Sorry Joy, but it's one of my favorite memories!

One Day Closer To Autumn

The air is still steamy, but there was a change in the light today. It was a little clearer, a little brighter, a little less like something seen through a muddy telescope. The air conditioner is humming again, but I was able to shut it off for about twenty four hours, til late this afternoon. The end of summer is finally in sight.

Emily likes the heat even less than I do, which always makes me laugh since she's nowhere near my bulk. She's lying on the bed wearing jean shorts and a tank top, her sandals are tucked neatly under the edge of the bed. Her hair is in a ponytail and she's wearing silver earrings shaped like sunbursts. It occurs to me that I've never seen her in shorts before, and now I wish I had!

Earlier we took a walk up Henry Street. One of the guys smoking cigarettes outside the Henry Street Ale House looked at us and smiled, offered me a high five. I was gonna ignore it, but Emily said, "Damn Jim, he's saying I'm hot! So slap him some!" I did. Cos she is!

When we got back here, with two pints of ice cream, Emily took the bowls off the shelf and began scooping. In my entire sixty seven years on this planet I have never known anyone who likes ice cream as much as Emily does.

And now she's sleeping, with an ice cream smile on her lips and the Skunk sleeping on her tummy. I love her, and I love him, and if that ain't happiness, well then, there ain't no such thing!

August 13th
My father would have been 99 today, had he not drunk himself to death at 72. He was borne on Friday the 13th, but that still doesn't excuse what he did. Hope he is paying for it now. Goodnight.
I survived you, asshole!