Monday, May 30, 2016

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.       

2 comments:

  1. I can hear the voice of a kid I knew but haven't seen since I was in eighth grade. Your Mom was the Bomb! She gave a kid of very little talent the chance to sing and dance in "West Side Story" when I was a sophomore in high school. Best Wishes. Ed Fayen

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    Replies
    1. Ed -

      Wow so good to see your post. West Side Story was great at St. Edward. And yeah - Mom was pretty awesome.

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