He showed up early. Early. Like, a week.
And unannounced. He showed up at her door.
And hungry. When her mother came to peek,
She found a skinny, lovesick omnivore,
And offered it a sandwich. He had come
By bus, some sev'ral hundred miles, then walked.
It being then the era they were from
(The fifties), they politely chatted. Talked.
They'd met that spring. Then he'd gone home from school,
To spend the summer list'ning to his dad
Berate him for behaving like a fool.
That Yankee nearly-girlfriend that he had
Was just too much to take. But August came,
And knowing things would never be the same,
He left a little soon. My dad. Surprise.
To her, her mother, me. And to my eyes,
His confidence that he'd be welcomed in,
His brash enthusiasm, fetching grin,
And sureness of the girl he hoped to win
Belie, a bit, the man that he became.
And me. I'm just a little bit the same.
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Alysa Salzberg
Melissa Miles McCarter
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Comments
His brash enthusiasm, fetching grin"
Wow Bard - you were really something. This is bold and impetuous....love it. Is it ok to ask a poet what happened with the girl?
A good decision then. This makes perfect, wonderful sense.
A soft, gentle and delicate soul?
DB, your poetry just grows and grows in richness and beauty.
anna1 - certainly outside in here! (I copped it from my mom's memoirs.)
Veronica - thank you! I enjoy writing one now and then. I'm glad you enjoyed reading it.
Muse - aha. Yes, I'm looking way, way back over my shoulder, it's true.
rita - you have written some beautiful things about your father, and they soar as well. Thanks for reading, as always.
Y - it is certainly ok - the girl became my mother. The poem was about my dad...
pastvoices - yes, he got in the house, my grandmother fed him, he visited, and then apparently they sent him on his way.
catch - I think he would have agreed with you. As most impetuous young men might.
trilogy - oho - a great example to follow - now you're getting into very complex territory...
Kate - thanks. If I show any richness and beauty, it's always because of the source material.
Thanks everyone. Oh man, look what time it is.
Goodnight!
as well as the ones that softly chime.
And the gong that goes I'm just a little bit the same ...