i had just turned six when
Elvis died
my mom with her long, dark hair
and my aunt, blonde and long too—
sat out on the steps
with their friends
and their short shorts, sobbing;
Tab and real Pepsi
in the bottle
Virginia
Slims between the index
and middle
age
i watched,
barefoot in the warm shade;
topaz eyes full and wide,
little legs tan; and tendril-bleached,
umber hair, wild—
even i knew i wouldn’t
forget
where i was that day
when i heard
‘Are You Lonesome Tonight’
in the background
and cried too
Copyright © 2013 Jennifer Wagner
Very vividly written, Jennifer. Interestingly enough I was in Germany when Elvis died. Out in a disco that night they played mostly Elvis music.....and everyone cried. He was one of a kind.
ReplyDeleteaww...thanks for sharing your memory Mary.
DeleteI loved how you knew you would remember where you were when Elvis died! And you described your mom and her friend to a tee....I was there!(in a manner of speaking) Great poem.
ReplyDeleteI knew you would be 'there' Ms. WabiSabi! Seems like I've commented before on some of your nostaligic writes that they reminded me of mine!
Deletemmm nice capture of the moment...dont remember much of elvis dying...i think my first concrete image of something like that was the challenger explosion...can see it clear as day...like the detail you use to bring this to life...
ReplyDeleteoh I remember that well too...I was a Freshman in High School...
DeleteMy sister was eight, and in love with Elvis.... She was just crushed. I love the story in this... Very vivid!
ReplyDeleteaww...thank you kelly :)
DeleteMasterful, Jennifer! Every line nuanced just right, with details, sights, sounds, flavors. This is one of your best.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful compliment to me Kim, thank you so much.
Deleteyou paint quite a vivid picture. I can almost here the melody in the background.
ReplyDeleteThank you RMP.
Deletewao...I just visualised it...so fine and exact
ReplyDeleteThanks Sadia :-)
DeleteYour words put me right in that memory...superb write.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for reading and your kind words.
DeleteJust lovely, Jennifer. What we remember and what we forget. Those bitter/sweet memories that stay so vividly with us, I think are a big piece of the puzzle: why we are who we are. If only they came with a manual. (Or perhaps it's best this way.) But, for me too, those moments captured in time - are a wonderful place to revisit.
ReplyDeleteYou are right...they are pieces in the big puzzle aren't they? So well said.
DeleteSweet memory!! Aw!!
ReplyDelete"Don't Cry Daddy" was the one that made me cry.
ReplyDelete" Virginia Slims between the index
and middle
age" Love that!
That one is a tear-jerker. Thank you!
DeleteSo nostalgic, Jennifer. I was a teenager when Elvis passed away and remember vividly the sorrow in my parents eyes, they were big fans of his.Your poem reminds me of American Pie, another day " the music died." Beautiful write!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Lisa! My mom was a huge, huge fan of his. Oh how she cried.
DeleteIt's funny, the moments we always remember. Depending on age, it might be Pearl Harbor, or President Kennedy's assassination, or the space shuttle exploding, or 9-11. Or, it can be a celebrity like Elvis, or John Lennon, or Princess Diana, passing away. Those things stay with a person forever, and along with the momentous, the small details get stored away, too, and you've done such a fine job with that. You're so good at the small, telling detail.
ReplyDeleteI do have one quibble, if that's all right. I don't like the line breaks around "sobbing Tab and real Pepsi/in the bottle". It makes it sound to me as if they are crying carbonated tears into a soda bottle. I might do it this way, if it were my poem, which I realize it isn't, and I apologize if I'm overstepping:
sat out on the steps
sobbing with their friends
and their short shorts
(and so on, as you had it)
I always look forward to coming here and finding out what you've written. :-)
I appreciate you taking the time to read and offer this critique Shay. I certainly don’t mind you pointing this out. Constructive criticism from a writer I consider to know a thing or two is good…open season on my poetry, not so much. I’m just not quite that thick-skinned. So back to the point you brought up. You are quite keen in that you have touched on the line that did not sit right with me. I had tweaked and tweaked and still it bugged. ‘sobbing’ has to come just before ‘Tab’ as that’s the way it flows as I recite it. I’ve edited the post—I hope it is more to your liking. I am happier with it. Thank you Miss Fireblossom. :-)
DeleteI like what you did!
DeleteWhew. Yay!
DeleteSo vividly desribed. It's the juxtaposition of sunshine and sadness that i find moving. Like when the velvet underground sang "its such a perfect day" and there's a sense of foreboding.
ReplyDeleteI remember john lennon's death clearly age 7. This was so well written. David
I'm super honored by your words David, thank you much. I remember that day too...and on the radio 'Imagine' being played over and over again...
DeleteBeautiful tribute, on many levels...to a person, family, a time and innocence.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! :-)
Deleteyou really capture the feeling of an era with this, painted so precisely. vivid is right!
ReplyDeleteThank you! :-)
Deleteyou took me right into the moment... funny how detailed we remember some things.. i have a few intense memories myself where i still see every small detail like in a picture...cool write
ReplyDeleteFunny how there are those few that are etched forever from when we were so small. Thank you Claudia :-)
DeleteI remember hearing the news, I was a little older at the time, but even so I couldn't recall the incredibly vivid details that you have managed to bring to your poem...you must have an incredible memory...a great write:-))
ReplyDeleteI think it is so clear because Elvis had been like a piece of the fabric of my life...my mom was such a big fan of his and I heard his music being played since I could remember. Thank you very much, I appreciate your thoughts!
DeleteI was a preteen when Elvis came on the scene so he was a vivid part of my coming-of-age years. So many talented artists we lose too young.
ReplyDeleteSo true...
Deletelovely, visual write - i don't know where i was when the news came, though i was old enough...
ReplyDeleteThank you Ruth :-)
DeleteBeautiful retrospective!
ReplyDeleteThanks Keith!
DeleteHe is one of my fav singer, I love him ~
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your memory of him ~
Nice to see you at D'verse ~
He was very talented for sure. Truly an icon.
DeleteSuch a sweet poem. Wonderful details. K.
ReplyDeleteThanks K!
DeleteI grew up listening to Elvis because my dad was obsessed with his music, and I still listen to him to this day, so this poem is quite sentimental for me. I remember my family going out to eat to Red Lobster and my dad was singing an Elvis song to my mom in the car, lol. Back then, I thought,"Oh, barf," but now I think it's very sweet and reminds me of those times. Wonderful details, Jennifer, so vivid and clear, and the flow was spot on. Great piece. :)
ReplyDeleteha...what a cool little memory to have tucked away...I can picture you rolling your eyes...Thanks so much Heather--loved having your thoughts :-)
DeleteReally enjoyed this blog post, can you make it so I receive an
ReplyDeleteemail sent to me every time you publish a fresh post?
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You can enter your email address in the sidebar on the right to have new posts sent to you. Thanks.
Deleteenjoyed it
ReplyDeleteThanks for saying so :)
DeleteThere really are those moments in history that impact us forever. They seem to make their marks on our hearts, and the memories are full of life and detail. Thanks for sharing that memory with us :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading lori :)
DeleteYou got me with this one - beautifully done, terrifically and sweetly evocative - great writing...
ReplyDeletebest Wishes to you Scott www.scotthastie.com
I appreciate your thoughts Scott--thank you!
Delete