Lovetime

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The Red Kite, a painting by Soizick Meister

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Honourable mention in the 2009 Fortune Cookie Contest.

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