So amazing, K. You so well illustrate that feeling of being unnaturally surprised and then the helplessness (and awful imminent threat) of being at the mercy of "the authority". And the poem so surreally (is that a word??) parallels that experience (with its own strange turns as well). Plus - love the bonus at the end!!
"Toy stores are places you break up with one day even though they did nothing wrong and you’re still a little in love." TRUTH!
I love this and it takes me right back to risks I took when I was young and didn't understand a) what the risks for a young woman were and b) how often the risks came from male would-be "protectors." Like you, I was mostly just lucky. And how lucky to have that story in your pocket about the Milanese boys with matching pajamas. If you had been too hung up on risk, you never would have had that, so how to move as a young woman in this world?
i am so sorry karen for not mentioning until now just how much i love this series ... i guess the skinny-dipping we all did in the 1970s made this one more special for me ... as a young (and stupid) man, i never realized just how dangerous some of the antics i enjoyed with my woman friends actually were ... we didn't have a government lake, but we had stone quarries that were off limits but didn't prevent us from sneaking in and enjoying ... we stripped and dove into the water never thinking of what might lie beneath ... or what might lie ahead ... thanks for sharing the poem ... and your reflections upon it ...
Whoa, Harris. I felt these teeter-tottering moments in my bones. You pack it with so many gorgeous moments and lines: breaking up with toy stores, the matching jammies. Those Italian boys restore the faith in humanity that is tested by sketchy guys in charge. Beautifully written!
So amazing, K. You so well illustrate that feeling of being unnaturally surprised and then the helplessness (and awful imminent threat) of being at the mercy of "the authority". And the poem so surreally (is that a word??) parallels that experience (with its own strange turns as well). Plus - love the bonus at the end!!
Thanks, hub xo
Yes a wonderful real-world tribute to the poem’s real-world dream .
Thank you, Robert! I’m guessing you already knew this poem!
I just found this!! Yay! I love it . https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4jO7OwFTNWc
Well written, as always Karen but I will file this under more things I’m glad I didn’t know. Love, Mom
Sorry, Mom! You’re the best Mom. The world’s the crazy one. ❤️
"Toy stores are places you break up with one day even though they did nothing wrong and you’re still a little in love." TRUTH!
I love this and it takes me right back to risks I took when I was young and didn't understand a) what the risks for a young woman were and b) how often the risks came from male would-be "protectors." Like you, I was mostly just lucky. And how lucky to have that story in your pocket about the Milanese boys with matching pajamas. If you had been too hung up on risk, you never would have had that, so how to move as a young woman in this world?
Mary! That was the question. And is, still? My daughter at this same age (23) is infinitely more wise and clued in. Sad? Great? Both? 💜
i am so sorry karen for not mentioning until now just how much i love this series ... i guess the skinny-dipping we all did in the 1970s made this one more special for me ... as a young (and stupid) man, i never realized just how dangerous some of the antics i enjoyed with my woman friends actually were ... we didn't have a government lake, but we had stone quarries that were off limits but didn't prevent us from sneaking in and enjoying ... we stripped and dove into the water never thinking of what might lie beneath ... or what might lie ahead ... thanks for sharing the poem ... and your reflections upon it ...
Oh Al. You are not a man one feels…hmmm…hey- that guy- he doesn’t appreciate x or y. You are the appreciator in chief! Thank you, as always!
Whoa, Harris. I felt these teeter-tottering moments in my bones. You pack it with so many gorgeous moments and lines: breaking up with toy stores, the matching jammies. Those Italian boys restore the faith in humanity that is tested by sketchy guys in charge. Beautifully written!
Thank you my dearest 💜
Wonderful writing. I enjoyed your skinny dipping story and the way you brought it up to the edge of James Tate’s layered piece.
It’s wild how sometimes the weirdest moments stick with you the most, like poems that capture a whole chaotic vibe in a line.