Once Upon A Time In Brooklyn

Once upon a time
In a borough called Brooklyn
I was a young man
Who was about to turn thirteen
(Thirteen being that magical
Mystical age when
Jewish boys are
Magically and mysteriously
Turned into
Jewish men via being
Bar mitzvahed -
Usually a synagogue based
Ceremony of
Incantations and blessings
On the Torah)

I was studying
Night and day
With varying degrees of success
Trying to learn how to chant
My allotted torah portion and
The series of blessing that are
Recited both before and after
One is called to the bima to
Read from the Torah

I was young and beautiful
And time held me
Green and dying
Like the poet
Dylan Thomas said
Though I too
Sang in my chains
Like the sea

However
On this particular
November afternoon
My usual study routine was
Interrupted by
A gentle tap
Tap tapping at
My front door


I wasn’t very happy about it
Because I really didn’t
Want to be disturbed

I opened the door

Standing in front of me
Was Miss Mina D.
One of the
Neighborhood floozies that
I had mistakenly
Taken to the movies
Once or twice
In search of what
Then passed for
Adolescent sex
(Heavy petting
It was called –
I will spare you
The gory details)

Though we had managed
To fondle each other and
Kiss a few times
During the obligatory
Make out scenes
(Usually when
Tuesday Weld
Was also kissing
Frankie Avalon
On screen)
I was more concerned
With not spilling my
Soda pop and
Sack of hot buttered popcorn
All over my one
Good pair of corduroy pants

Apparently
Miss Mina D. had
Mistaken this traditional
Teenage rite of passage
To mean that
She and I were now
Some kind of hot item
Which evidently gave
Her the right
To come to my
3rd floor walk up
(The urine smelling elevator
Was almost always broken)
Unannounced
And at any time that
She got it into her head
To do so

You know Mina
I said to her
Just because
You and I
Finger fucked a few times
In the balcony of the
Mermaid theatre
During Beach Blanket Bingo
Doesn’t give you the right
To hassle me at home
When I have important stuff
That I have to get done

Oh yeah
She said
Ignoring my every word
As she pushed past me
Heading straight
For my bedroom
While brushing
Her ample body
Hard against me
As she cracked her
Bazooka bubble gum
In my face

We’ll just see about that!

jhmarkowitz
Philadelphia, Pa. 2012