The boy and girl approach me
eastbound on the Great River Road walk
the boy clad in shorts only
perfect, thin muscular body
the girl in black sports bra and spandex shorts
perfect, thin muscular body
her girl parts showing nicely.
And I think of when I was young
and I think of my girl, sweet Eden
only there was no spandex no sports bras
and Eden and I didn’t walk, run, saunter, sashay
but we danced because Eden liked to dance;
mostly we lay on a blanket in a arc-shaped glade
in Pere Marquette State Park
and I played her rib bones with pianist’s fingers
it was tickling not sex it was sex not tickling.
The boy says hello
I say hello;
the girl neither looks nor says a word . . .
gone.
I see a forested island south across the Mississippi channel
a few leaning summer shacks east-bowed by the flood;
five snowy egrets and a blue heron stand in a row
beaks stabbing at intervals into the lapping murky water
white and blue heads on feathered fulcrums
long beaks spear fishing for silver minnows
and I think of piano keys:
C-D-E-F-F# (the blue heron the ‘black’ key)-G major;
in those notes are Leonard Bernstein’s Maria
but the piano keys (birds’ bobbing bodies) do not play Maria
instead: C-F#-G-D-E-F-F# (a blues)
and the words are a blues:
‘The girl didn’t see the old man.’
And I think of that blanket and summer, 1967,
of Eden’s finely etched ribs and breastbone
her girl parts showing nicely, palpitating
her throat emitting a kitten’s cry
her breaths staccato
and she, Catholic that she was, insisted we pray
pet and pray pet and pray;
the forest and the Illinois River and the bluebirds
and flower perfume and smell of skin
and irises’ sensual hues and goldfinch songs
and blue hairstreak butterflies alighting and sipping
from Eden’s lavender-scented sweaty skin from my sweaty skin.
Walking back I see only four egrets and the heron left:
F#-D-E-F-G-F (the C note having flown)
and the words are:
‘Didn’t see the old man’
‘Didn’t see the old man’
‘Didn’t see the old (another egret flies)’
‘Didn’t see the (yet another egret flies)’
‘Didn’t see (the last egret takes flight)’
‘Didn’t (F-G, the blue note solo echoes
on the soundboard of the river).’