Band of Brothers

Fall in. Park your bicycles in a row.

Breezeway leaf sweeper, shovels and a hoe.

Pay attention to the yard you must mow.

Weekly allowance – I don’t think so.

Burgers all around. Soft drinks on the side.

Anna’s baloney is best when it is fried.

Cupboard bakery snack cakes, cookies, all twist-tied..

Enough to nosh --- to be somewhat satisfied.

Cosmetic affluence --- A bit of a show.

Nothing ever as it seems you know.  
Live, love, laugh, rolling in the dough.

Color coded - Red, Blue, Green, Yellow.

Push down, pull up, roller-coaster Sandusky

Breakers, squall lines - Chicken of the Sea

Life jackets, half hitch, all aboard - bow and stern lights,

Dockside cabin cruiser – safe, clear, starry nights

You wanted to be with your friends this week.

You wanted to hang on the corner or the tracks.

You wanted to call that girl late and sneak out back.

You wanted to break some rules, smuggle a beer, relax.

Instead you are on a family trip in close quarters.

Towing the line, swabbing the deck, following orders.

And yet - All these years later I wouldn’t trade a minute

All those times I shared with my brothers in it.

Note: Our family of six children included an older brother and an older sister too. Mom often referred to me as the oldest of the four boys denying me any claim to middle child syndrome. I have fond and vivid memories of growing up at a time when a Kennedy-esque Camelot seemed attainable even in Northeast Ohio. Dad was captain of the Leprechaun – a 29’ Chris Craft with a flying bridge.