Further from Westford

and black van halen concert shirt
Mike told me a thousand times,
"We'll go down to townfarm
and toss rocks until sunset."
He'd grab a pole, and a bit of tackle
and we'd trek down the road
talking about Audrey Evans, Michelle Fazio
and life.

The mosquitos would rage in the gentle
summer breezes as the orange sun fell away
revealing stars and the mysteries
of our faith in bass, kibbies, shiners
night crawlers, poppers, mountain dew
and bubblicious bubble gum.

He loved her, I think, with his Solid Gold dancer hair
5' 9" of taut sexy, with endless legs wrapped around his dirty dreams
and her eyes were so piercing blue
his heart would stop as he talked about her

I wondered how she and Michelle could be so close
until I looked at Mike,
Our dreams entangled for a time
Like Kerouac and Bukowski we wailed at life
and took it by the balls -- man-boys daring
the lightning on the mountain tops.
Roaring down wooded paths -- that still, even now,

cross

Our history, our loves

Audrey and Michelle, I do not know. Perhaps
they still laugh together at Christmas
over eggnog, remembering Mike
and wondering how I could be his friend
without overwhelming inaddequacey

He's way out in Ashburnham now,
and I never get down to Westford anymore
the fish though,
i think they're still biting in townfarm.