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Lovetime

by Jill Mandrake

February 14, 2011

2011-02-14T15:00:00
  • Content

THE-REDKITE_0.jpg

The Red Kite, a painting by Soizick Meister

Honourable mention in the 2009 Fortune Cookie Contest.

Related
  • Yellow Pants
  • Fig Leaves
  • White Wedding

Love is on its way


I was hoping you would have hung around
at least until I’d learned all the words
to “Goodnight Irene”
♥
a guy called Murray, a friend of a friend
said, “I’ve never had a romance that lasted
longer than a bottle of shampoo”
he said this at Shoppers Drug Mart
in the Health and Beauty aisle
looking for Sparkling Beauregard
a brand recommended for flyaway hair
♥
back in grade 6, half the class had a crush
on a girl called Andrea, with long brown hair
politeness, brains and leadership skills.
a song on the Toppermost 40 that season
was “Andrea” by the Sunrays
some of the lyrics were awkwardly mushy
and Andrea often got razzed about it
♥
at the beginning of junior high
the dream-song of choice on the Hot 100
was “Malinda” by Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers
there weren’t any girls called Malinda to razz
but actions like that were behind us by then
Andrea would have heard that song
I’m sure of it, she was around
♥
almost every year
during the high school graduation blow-out weekend
there would be a fatal car crash

    Tags

    contests, Fortune Cookie Contest, Fortune Cookie Lit, Geist 76, growing up, love, Jill Mandrake, poetry, teens

    by Jill Mandrake

    February 14, 2011

    2011-02-14T15:00:00
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    Comments (3)

    Comment Feed

    I love this. It's strikingly

    I love this. It's strikingly real, and in the realm of lived experience. Great style - don't change it for an instant! ;)

    I was also struck by the shampoo / relationship comparison.

    abby3 more than 2 years ago

    Certainly the line, "I've

    Certainly the line, "I've never had a romance that lasted longer than a bottle of shampoo" is a new classic ! It's worthy of a lot of innuendo. Love it.

    Anonymous more than 3 years ago

    Yes!! Keep publishing this

    Yes!! Keep publishing this stuff! This is evocative! Real! What we have lived and suffered! More!

    P. Crowell more than 3 years ago

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