sweet lorraine

toledo, circa 1955

walking right in on a

count basie concert
in that old hotel ballroom downtown
not far from the porcelain enamel plant
& department store
my stepfather johnnie & mother ida
worked at
taking us to experience what i now know
as the backbeat
of every clapboard house we ever lived in 
my mother's tongue casserole
endless pots of chili
on the stove
ready to be reheated
when we all came together
for supper
and johnnie would play
sweet lorraine
one more time
on the victrola

--- e b bortz

columbia place

northside pittsburgh, circa 1962

soaking up the smell

of cabbage and sausage
goulash
stale beer spilled over
on the stoops
at the end of the alley
screen doors slamming
out of row houses
off-white doily curtains
blowing through open windows
of peeling paint

this old world

about to change
forever

john f kennedy

rolling down brighton road
a fixed patrician smile
genuine nod
from the back of a convertible
a village comes out 
hands waving
sometimes a fist

--- e b bortz

earth note 595

east fork san juan river, colorado

1.

hand water pump
comes up dry
even as the big pines
emit a freshness
from the tips of their needles
cold as a mountain summer
on the earliest morning
just beyond the solstice
a quiet wave
leaves the valley

2.

friday night camper gathering

at the host site
the fire cooks peppers & tomatoes
on a stick
someone brings homemade ice cream
melting through a few stories

3.

tracing starlight back to the tent

the eyes of a deer flicker
grass rustles
bed opens

--- e b bortz

earth note 594

there's a heat wave

tearing your insides out
your heart might end up
beating in the palm of your hand
at least you'll put it on ice
to keep it running

down over the hill

where the trail begins
there's a green cluster
dying of thirst
below the outcrops
a small shift
and it'll become another landslide

no one is guaranteeing

a reprieve or salvation
no one is picking a fight
no one has a magic key or code
everyone is looking over their shoulder
what started out as a weather report
is now ending indeterminate

the last pool of water

turned out to be a mirage
all the easy riders are gone
leaving at sunrise
no one mentioned a last supper
or a route number

the wind just picked up

like an oven door opening
find your best walking shoes
the crows will get you as far
as the graveyard
where the stones stay cold
     after that
     find a neighbor
     & follow the big dipper

--- e b bortz

earth note 593

this one

came from many places
before it landed
on the page
when there's no sunlight
to wake you
there's always
a cold sweat
it breaks out
and leaves tracks
though you never notice them
right away
pretty soon there will be shadows
at the base of the maples
that seem gentle
but you know you've been fooled
before
each leaf casts its own profile
never duplicated
the mourning dove will speak
the wind will rise and carry it
until you notice

--- e b bortz

earth note 592

seoul, 1990

peace will come

when it's not
bought and sold
in a weapons flea market

--- e b bortz

earth note 591

koh samui thailand

the sea is green

then blue
just as the last wave
of the old year
skips a beat
uncommitted
to any future forecasting

a long-shaft fishing boat

is out looking for easy pickings
as the equator
seems to shift
an imaginary line in the water
to a sun
burning through

--- e b bortz

recovering notes from the deep, part 18

pittsburgh circa 1967

my roommate on jacksonia street

who worked at krogers on the northside
had a knack for bringing home t-bone steaks
just as we were running out of everything else
     that was edible

no questions asked

and then usually there would be some partying

sergeant pepper style
and some of the girls
from our high school graduating class
would come over and we'd talk about
those still around and others who drifted away
or got drafted including those who died

the living room had bare floors that we sat on

and a sliver or two but a good gas space heater
open flames just like you'd expect
from a falling down 3rd-floor walkup

the doors this is the end

haunted everyone who came over to see us
this was a kind of anthem for those of us
living on the otherside
where we painted the bathroom walls & fixtures black
where there were no dorms
and class schedules
only hard labor
or tedious production-line-piece-work

months passed and my roommate

always restless
suddenly decided to rent a truck
and move to the west coast sunshine

on the last night we laughed and rapped

reliving our experiences
passing through the rubicon
which i thought then
could only happen once
     as i helped him pack
shaking hands like it would be
the last time
which it was
as he slipped the doors album onto the turntable
like it was sending him down the road

i never heard from him again

but pretty sure he caught
the best part
of the summer of love
probably getting lost regularly
in golden gate park
guiding groups of merrymakers
and cerebral adventurers
in and out of the free stores
crash pads
lost lovers
on their way to nirvana

--- e b bortz