Find a photo
from the 1970’s
maybe developed 
at a Photo Shack
located on black top
in a now half-empty 
shopping mall.

The shiny surface
all smudged up &
there is a border
around it
like a white picket fence.

Bob
in his signature navy blue
Hawaiian shirt:
sunny pineapples,
leafy palm trees swaying &
on the pocket–a lazy crescent moon.
Cut off jean shorts, bare feet,
hair pulled back in a thick ponytail
with a red dime store yarn tie,
scratched up Coke bottle
glasses eschew.

He is passed out on one of his mom’s
plaid aluminum lounge chairs–
we have ring-tossed Rold Gold
pretzels all over him, 
(2 or 3 bags worth) &
in the tall grass that surrounds him
like a tropical island,
that he was supposed to mow
before we all showed up.

We are so young.
Home from our freshman 
year of college–it’s summertime–
we are all drunk,
high as kites,
we refer to his mom
respectfully as ma’am, 
she shares her smokes,
goes inside to watch 
the portable tv in the kitchen.

a 20th century still life 
in the palm of my hand–