Saturday Songs

Opened the windows so that the wind would play with my hair,

since no one else was around. 

 It brushed my face as I searched for a song on the radio. 

Such a lovely feeling.

I've been listening to the Wallflowers lately,

pretty light rock with a twinge of country mixed in. 

 Anyway, the song One Headlight came on the radio, 

and I've never heard it on there before. Only 

in my own itunes library.

Their entire album, Bringing Down the Horse,

is like a verbalization of small town life.

The lyrics are bittersweet. 

The melody is slow, like those disheartening moments

when you wave at the kid on the corner,

who you knew once,

before your connection faded.

They capture that frustration,

the need to light the town on fire,

just so something will happen. Something worthwhile.

I've been pretty busy lately, keeping up with school, 

college apps, life in general. It takes a lot to slow me down,

but coming home does the trick. 

I won't have time this weekend to go to our town's 

annual Fall Festival, but I remember the days when

that was the highlight of my whole year.

Driving by the large, painted signs at the center of town

brings me back to those days when I wasn't aware

of the world beyond my town lines, beyond

bicycle-riding distance. 

The days when winning goldfish in a carnival game

felt like winning the lottery.

When roast-beef sandwiches and pie by the pond filled

every craving I could imagine.

When we bought tiny poppers and threw them at one another,

just to get a laugh.

When I asked my parents if I could by a fake cigarette 

from the cheap-toy vendor. When they said no.

When we ran around in the mud until late at night, 

jumping fences and chasing geese through the fields.

When we traded marbles and stories 

and climbed trees and hid in hay bales.

And now, I'm sitting at home eating black beans 

and studying Greek sculptures and architecture. 

Quiz on Monday. Big stuff...

Working some shifts

at the restaurant this weekend. 

My oddly shaped feet aren't thanking me,

because I wore bad sneakers. 

Oh well. 

Enjoy the Wallflowers.

Enjoy the weekend.

This invisible city
Where no one sees nothing
We're touching faces in the dark
Feelin' pretty is so hard