Here's To Looking At You Kid

Hey kid
I’m looking at you
(yeah you!)
and my
don’t you look fine
stretched out in
the chez lounge
alongside the pool
sunlight from the water
bouncing off your long legs
while you turn
golden tan
sun reflector
under your chin
catching the last
summer rays
before the autumn
leaves begin to fall

And to think that
I practically had to drag
you out here
that I had to bribe you and
cajole you
to get you to leave your
beloved dull old Manhattan
practically deserted now
for the last big weekend of
the summer
everyone having
beaten a hasty retreat
to get away from
the steaming pavement
and the concrete heat
desperate now for a soft
ocean breeze
before buckling down to
the serious business of
figuring out how to survive
yet another cruel winter season
in the city that never sleeps

We took turns driving
the long distance to the
very end of the
island that they call long
with the top down
and the wind
blowing in our hair

It took several hours
but we finally made it
driving past all the
little towns and hamlets
of the east end
the south shore
past the quaint
gingerbread houses and
the windmills of
Watermill and
Bridgehampton
while I pointed out
the places that I had
frequented as a boy
the Candy Kitchen
ice cream shop that
still served the world’s best
banana splits and
the next door
penny candy store
with its cornucopia
of sweet caramel
and chocolate
covered treats

Soon enough
we were pulling
into the driveway of
my summer rental
the gravel growling
under the tires
announcing our arrival
to the denizens of the trees
and hedges
as a pair of grazing rabbits
hopped to get away
the honeysuckle still
dangling on the vine
the wild huckleberries
thick and ripe for the picking
we can have them for breakfast
in the morning
with some fresh hot coffee
and some heavy cream

The early night air
is surprisingly cool
and the fresh breeze that
blows in from the nearby ocean
carries with it
the taste of seaweed and brine
I ask if you are hungry
You say yes

How do lobster tails
and champagne sound
I ask
and you just laugh

Tuna fish sandwiches
will do just fine
you say
and this time
I know that
you really mean it
the miracle that I had
dreamed about forever
has actually come to be

We are finally
going to be
alone together

We have finally
found our way home

jhmarkowitz
Philadelphia, Pa. 2012