This is submitted to dVerse Poetics where we are writing to the art of Danny Gregory.
I remember that summer well,
whenever I see the sun come through
the window at a certain angle,
or smell the sweet smell of old dry wood,
or I hear the first opening bars of
Baba O’Riley.
All the way up those stairs
sweating and taking a rest
on the third flight.
Smelling the meals of other people,
pot from that quiet man on the second floor.
Hot hot summer.
Up on the roof at night
looking down at the crowded streets,
looking up to the sky, a strange
orange from all the lights
and not really a sky, just a…
piece of canvas I guess.
Sitting in someone’s lawn chair,
lugged up there for the purpose
of finding repose.
I remember well that night
I climbed to the roof
with a cold six pack.
I couldn’t face that tiny
apartment full of faded plants,
books waiting to be studied,
and a lethargic shower.
And on the roof,
the young man sitting in the – his
lawnchair. he looked startled
that someone else would come up.
I hesitated.
Then, want to share a six pack?
And he smiled.
So we drank and smoked his
pot and talked…talked…talked…
We both wrote bad poetry and
we didn’t care.
We were tired of studying,
wanted to find a cool patch of green
somewhere…
We stayed up there until sunrise.
We watched the sun climb before
we started down the stairs
to our apartments.
I remember that summer well.
I often wonder,
Do you still write bad poetry?
Do you remember me
and that first morning
you brought me coffee?
Feb 10, 2015 @ 18:24:17
That’s a lovely memory of summer and first love awakening ~ And oh to watch that sunrise together is something else ~
Feb 10, 2015 @ 18:27:03
Yes, it was!
Feb 10, 2015 @ 18:39:23
smiles….what a cool memory…real i hope…and where you lived sounds like a cool place…full of textures and smells…and personalities…funny too who we end up bonding with along the way as well…
Feb 10, 2015 @ 20:31:27
It is a real memory. As soon as I saw that sketch, I zipped back in time. We lost contact after graduation from university. he was a nice guy and a good friend.
Feb 10, 2015 @ 18:48:04
Your poem held my attention from beginning to end…very evocative, emotional, and intense. I do hope that it is true!
Feb 10, 2015 @ 20:31:48
smiling…very true.
Feb 10, 2015 @ 18:56:33
“a cool patch of green” ah… you took us to this place filled with sights and sounds… so much life you brought
Feb 10, 2015 @ 20:32:15
Thank you. It was a good time.
Feb 10, 2015 @ 19:27:32
This really stirred up memories for me of a few weeks of summer spent in the heat of the Bronx in between semesters at College in Scranton. No pot or beer, but the sounds and smells and sweat and swelter–I could feel them–you recreated them for me.
Feb 10, 2015 @ 20:34:32
I was a wild child. As soon as I saw that sketch, it all came back, that summer.
Feb 10, 2015 @ 19:32:20
You really told us a story! It would be great material for a film scene or a short story. I enjoyed your poem very much.
Feb 10, 2015 @ 20:35:01
I’m glad you did enjoy. the old old story, boy meets girl.
Feb 10, 2015 @ 19:56:50
Kanzen! This was terrific – such a change, I would think, from your disciplined haiku yet still evoking all those wonderful images you conjure. Lovely!
Feb 10, 2015 @ 20:37:16
Theank you Huntie! This was for a prompt from dVerse Poetics….we picked a sketch and wrote a poem for it. The moment I saw the sketch, I knew. I went right back to that wonderful summer. I am glad you enjoyed.
Feb 10, 2015 @ 23:20:04
What a great memory – to sit there and watch the sky. To me it sounds like the scene out of a film.. I’m sorry you lost contact.. Maybe he will turn up in the blogosphere 😉
Feb 11, 2015 @ 10:38:18
I never thought of that. That would be nice. He was working on being a teacher of Modern American Lit. Ungrateful task. He was a nice man and a good friend. Sometimes, I think when we play back our memories, they almost do become like a movie or a short story or in this case, a poem.
Feb 10, 2015 @ 23:39:16
hey – that is a cool encounter… and nothing wrong with writing bad poetry – ha – it’s the connections we make along the way that matter to me as well… a very cool snapshot here.. love it
Feb 11, 2015 @ 10:35:04
Thank you! I realized a long time ago I would never be a TS Eliot but it is fun to keep trying.
Feb 11, 2015 @ 00:15:35
A delightful poem and memory Kanzen! ❤
Feb 11, 2015 @ 10:33:40
😊 Thank you!
Feb 11, 2015 @ 07:34:37
Awe-s.o.m.e. I agree with ALL the comments. This is superb. I have never climbed up on a roof alone or with anyone else, but this feels so real. Once again, you have outdone yourself. ❤ ❤ ❤
Feb 11, 2015 @ 10:22:22
Thank you my friend. Danny Gregory’s sketches are so evocative and it was interesting to read all the poems and takes on his different works. As “arty” as you are, you might want to take a minute and follow the link to the dVerse sight and then the link to his flickr page. He has a really interesting story and how he uses his art and then, the art itself. I most enjoyed it. Take about 10 minutes and go on a virtual gallery tour, in your jammies!
Feb 11, 2015 @ 16:48:43
I l.i.k.e. the sketches. Have saved to favorites to later take a tour. Thanks, my friend Kansen. ❤
Feb 11, 2015 @ 18:34:21
I thought you would enjoy!
Feb 12, 2015 @ 13:11:48
Thank you. Thank you, Kansen.
Feb 11, 2015 @ 08:15:26
How beautiful that you saw yourself in the sketch. Some memories are so strong, they can be no more than an aroma, lawn chair, rooftop, or sketch away.
Feb 11, 2015 @ 10:19:28
Yes, that is true. I saw that sketch and that time period came back.
Feb 11, 2015 @ 09:38:42
It is wonderful how we get a good company for a while. Sometimes, people we don’t know turn out to make such an impression on us (through their personality or may be the mood of the event when we meet them) that we do remember them and particularly that meeting even when many years have passed.
Beautifully penned.
-HA
Feb 11, 2015 @ 10:18:52
Thank you so much for your kind words. Yes, it is strange how we bond with someone, how people come and go in our lives but their influence remains.
Feb 12, 2015 @ 01:36:13
A beautiful poem that captures the memories of one of those fleeting encounters that somehow end up meaning a great deal. Those moments we can never really forget.
Feb 12, 2015 @ 10:59:35
And they always seem to pop up at the oddest moments….a smell, a picture, a song.
Feb 12, 2015 @ 17:59:51
What a flashback this must have been to write….it really comes alive. I agree with Gabriella…it felt like a scene from a film. Nice!
Feb 12, 2015 @ 19:05:42
Thank you. Some memories are that intense and still alive.
Feb 13, 2015 @ 16:40:32
Very effectively captures time & place and the emotional energy connected to it. The closing lines of longing, nostalgia, and memory resonate like the closing bars of a melody. Well done. 🙂
Feb 13, 2015 @ 21:00:26
Thank you very much!
Feb 18, 2015 @ 00:00:58
For a moment, I was there, and I thank you for that. 😀