Jimmy Page Was Here On July 4th

As the sun sets A hot wind like this Does not belong in downtown Lansing But here it is Speed-boating down the Grand River grinning and wearing Ray-Bans My wife and I We hold down our pouncing bouncing patio table At the Waterfront Bar and Grill As if we were airborne soldiers just landed But still attached and tangled To our thumping jumping parachutes Strings of lightbulbs clattering like teeth above us Hung from under the Friday night tent 96 degrees even as the day sinks to evening. The river converts to beer and shots of whiskey. The catfish are buzzed and jump for joy. The four member rock band is amped up With the addition of a mandolin And plays the entire second side in order From Led Zeppelin III But replacing at the end Hats Off (To Roy Harper) With Hey Hey What Can I Do? as one big set. Who does that? We notice there are well-known bartenders Playing hooky from working anymore At the drab and deadly chain restaurants Back in the townships. We should all follow their lead And go on strike right now from the boredom of life Everyone everywhere Just quit and sit along the Grand River in this sparkling city But the lead guitarist He drinks his beers as fast as the crowd And the bass guitarist tilts her instrument Vertical to her shoulder A mother soothing her baby’s back Swaying her hips in melodic circles While the drummer and the piano player try to catch up On beat So we sing along Implanting our hands in the dough of air. Jimmy Page is here. Sitting alone. Dressed in black. Sipping from a tall glass of orange juice. It’s too hot for flies So lightning bugs twinkle to the sticky bottoms Of emptied beer pitchers Flickering on the table tops To the night’s finale of Whole Lotta Love Mixed at the end with Baba O’Riley. Who does that? All night A friendly man at the table next to me A union bus driver Who bragged he’d worked enough overtime all year To take PTO for the entire summer Flicks his hand against my shoulder (The same shoulder that has Melanoma growing on it) Every time the band strikes the first chords To another rare Zep With the same look of Can you believe it? Apparently, I must have the same look.