the beatles brought her

pittsburgh 1964

just as she landed on the northside

at a church work camp
an aqua paint brush
over rough plaster
just down the hall
if you followed the music
and the spirit surreal
of the slow dance
that brought me to
a sweat

on her arrival from across the river

i wondered how
things might go
if we ever had a chance
to go
beyond the reach
of her boilermaker father
and his penchant
for racist rants

escape at sixteen

wasn't an easy option
so we learned the trails
of schenley park
and steamed up the windows
at skibo hall parking lot

--- e b bortz