A THANK YOU NOTE FOR THE CAST OF “THE RINK”
Still high, stoned on nostalgia,
I go into the parking lot
Humming the theme song of the play.
Like stage scenery, the sky
Shimmers with crystal. The moon
Is a glitterball on a chain
Where any father can pull it down
For his daughter. Look at Arcturus,
A Hope diamond on black velvet:
Follow the arc of the dipper
And you can put your finger on it.
Music and colored lights:
Ghetto kids have overdosed on them
Spacing on strobe beams and
Hard rock nuclear blasts.
Ma and Pa have split,
Riding roller coaster rainbows.
They have outgrown magicians,
Circuses, carnivals and state fairs.
They’re outward bound for Xanadu.
Tickets are only a dollar a minute.
I can remember circling
In the warm New Hampshire honey-
Suckle -scented night,
Skate wheels clicking like a locomotive
On the tracks to Monterey,
Round and round the roller rink,
Silky in my rayon dress,
Hoping a boy would smile at me,
Proud of my lace collar.
The jukebox played the Beer Barrel
Polka round and round
Until the lights dimmed for “Couples Only”
And I rejoined my parents.
Leave a Reply