he asks me if I remember
a time when we loved
my mind goes back to
1973
riding in a bright orange
dodge duster
flying over railroad tracks
not a care in the world
hot summer nights
on a cool water bed
hiding from my father
and eating chocolate
melted over bananas
the smell of marijuana
lingering in the air
laughing and singing
to songs by Karen Carpenter
and Barry Manilow
while we talked of our
future
on a cot in his basement
I played with his hair
he played me
walks in the rain
and loving him
every morning
I tell him it was a lifetime
ago
no—I don’t remember
later, I play a Carpenter song
and fall asleep
it is 1973
and I am in love