I was young enough
that unraveling attracted me
a kitten to yarn, tiring my father
The other guy would have been worse
But Kimmy’s Mom says--
No law against idiocy
And my mother
Smoke easing from the corner of her mouth
Said they had been right here and there
I was young enough
that every long drive bored me
Students on the radio
jamming the signal
Blocked the Supremes
“We no longer trust our Government”
And my mother
In the kitchen after Thanksgiving
Said it was time for me to go
She she could speak; Yale to Stanford
Let her stay, said Carolyn, and I did
I was young enough
that my friends and I changed our signatures weekly
A swirlier “N,” a heart dotting the i
“It’s an historic event,”
But when they said it was over
He hadn’t even signed once
And I went to bed confused and unaware
Of what I’d learned
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