Random Thoughts on the Fourth of July

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Balmy beaches stuck in a mid-70’s pose 
It’s just streetcars and bobcats and luminous winds 
Cinematically purple prose and autumn light chroma-key sky 
The power of white knickers and secret lunchboxes 
The Raisin Girls rendezvous and yearning predicament 
Kisses and cooties and swearing wholeheartedly 
Crossing fingers under the hemlines 
And taming the beast with calming words and homilies 
Monday El Niño and Moonbeam Child heroin chic 
Pink nail polish and boys by the swings 
Eager their eyes penetrate and devour 
As the rub against the see-saw breathing in staccato 
He’s the Irish and her ginger is bought 
Easy sentiment is ricocheting
The slip of the tongue and it’ll bite off your hand
And ball and chain your feet 
And they call her Jolene with the auburn hair 
With the dusk in her eyes and the snake on her shoulder 
She wanders easy on their gossip winds 
Flicker on their disapproval to leave abruptly 
Practicing to blow up smoke rings 
Skimming stones and catching gleams in broken bottles 
Somebody turned down the lights it’s the Fourth of July 
There’s a woman’s voice down the hall
And I pray for the Midas touch 
And fear that my face have changed so rapidly 
I’ve had sagacity or so I was beguiled 
One man’s madrigal is another man’s deceit 
How I’ve graduated beyond my expectations 
How I’ve grown so fierce and strong 
So I disregard the stale air of elitism 
And promise never to dwell on where I went wrong