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boys of summer

out on the road today
i saw a deadhead sticker on a cadillac

Feathered red hair. Freckled face. Blue eyes.
We shared a bus seat, you half-assed to spare me agony.
Attempt at a forced date failed—I ran away, screaming, crying. Regretting.
You were the reason I thought he saw a redhead sticker on a Cadillac.

i never will forget those nights
i wonder if it was a dream

You called me your “Nosie,” a name I should hate.
First kiss. My open, surprised eyes reflected your confidence.
Covert trips to an attic bedroom.
An airport goodbye, your scent on my neck.

you got your hair combed back
and your sunglasses on, baby

Cool as the poet you wanted to be.
Blue eyes peered over Lennon frames, a smirk below.
Innocence lost, two teens fumbled in the dark.
Shrugged and moved on with life.

empty lake, empty streets
the sun goes down alone

Mysterious dock in an unknown locale.
A belt loop torn, air licked the exposed patch of flesh.
Later, accusations and tears.
No soap could scrub off the scum of the night.

i thought i knew what love was
what did i know?

Three years, buoyed by your adoration.
Three years, families and existences intertwined.
Three years to build a life,
Three minutes to kill it.

a little voice inside my head said, “don’t look back.
you can never look back.” …
those days are gone forever
i should just let them go but –

The one least expected, almost lost.
But promises were twice made on lonely lakes.
And a third promise, the last.
Somehow, you remain. And I with you.

my love for you will still be strong
after the boys of summer have gone

9 responses to “boys of summer”

  1. acb123 acb123 says:

    thanks so much for your comments! this is quite a departure from my usual style, but a lot of my writing–my life, really–is inspired by music, although it doesn't always find its way into my writing. however, i do have a piece published called "my love affair with hair bands." :0)
    i heard boys of summer a few days ago, and the song made me reflect on some of my "summer loves." the results are posted here for people's [hopeful] pleasure.
    and even more thanks for posting the link to the song–i didn't think to do that, but it's a nice touch for those unfamiliar with the song.
    blessings to you and yours,
    amanda

  2. emmy em emmy em says:

    Pretty. You weaved a song I generally wouldn't care for into a really lovely piece. Maybe I wrote off Don Henley & The Eagles too soon. (doubt it, I think that the writing here is just really really good)

    • acb123 acb123 says:

      emmy em,
      i don't think you've wrong about don henley & the eagles. i've been quoted as once saying, "if i have to hear 'hotel california' one more time, i'm gonna gouge my eyes out with a spork!" i do have a couple of songs of eagles songs i enjoy ("peaceful, easy feeling comes to mind"), but overall, i can take 'em or leave 'em. mostly leave 'em. :0)
      i appreciate the positive feedback on the piece, and thank you for reading.
      blessings,
      amanda

  3. Avatar Betsy Griffey says:

    Amanda, this is powerful and intense. Your images are so vivid and concrete. I felt the heat and pain.
    Betsy

  4. Avatar gdb says:

    How overjoyed I am that Christ had in mind for me to be the last boy of summer… here's (clink) to the remaining summer's of my life filled your crescent eyes and shining smile.

  5. Avatar JRP says:

    This reminds me of one particular summer during college, when my girlfriend and I were living in an apartment with a guy named "Dancin' Dave". Alone in the apartment on an humid, August afternoon, I read the first draft of her memoir. It made me cry so hard that my tears stained the pages, pulling the black ink down along the margin. I wasn't big on sharing back then, so I never told her, never let her see me cry. I thought that hiding my emotion was a sign of strength, but I was wrong. She was the strong one. I thought I knew what love was. What did I know?

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acbauch123 About acbauch123

Amanda C. Bauch, writer, editor, and teacher, has an MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University and is currently working on a young adult novel and a memoir. In her “free” time, she works as a freelance dissertation editor and formerly served as Assistant Editor for Relief: A Christian Literary Expression. Her short fiction has appeared in Tattoo Highway, Bent Pin Quarterly, The Hiss Quarterly, and nonfiction pieces have been published in Writer Advice, Empowerment4Women, as well as two print anthologies, Tainted Mirror and MOTIF: Writing By Ear. She also won an honorable mention in the 2007 Writers’ Workshop of Asheville Memoir Contest and second place in the 2006 Lantern Books Essay Contest. Her viewpoint often derives from her dysfunctional family history, relationships, Christianity and spiritual issues, and random nonsense.

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