recovering notes from the deep, part 12

june 1966

on that last official day

of high school
i didn't realize
it would be
a graduation of sorts
out of childhood
since i thought
i had passed that milestone
already
hitchhiking  
the pennsylvania turnpike to nyc
or the ohio turnpike to chicago
or the backroads
through tyrone on the way
to state college

at some point

i had a guitar
strapped on
and a denim shirt
missing buttons

there were low-wage jobs

and crash pads that
thrust me in the direction
of growing up
     not sure what that meant
     or even what it means now

i was always in favor of wearing beliefs
whenever they landed
not running from them
     accepting them like a kind of destiny
     with family roots or no roots

the summer blew past me

toward the fall-winter fur coat retrieval
warehouse job
earning enough before
seasonal layoff
to find a ride to california

by late winter
the money ran out
and some were wondering
when or if i was coming back

to a pittsburgh daytime

looking so dark

--- e b bortz