Like It Was Yesterday

I remember fish sticks for Friday night dinners And having phones mounted on the wall And when calling my parents to come pick me up Hearing the operator ask, “Do you accept this call” I remember cartoons on Saturday mornings And TV shows in black and white I remember staying outside all day to play Until blanketed by the dark of night I remember wearing high-tops – the Converse All-Star kind And having to put on a tie for school I remember that bottle spinning round and round And when it stopped – what we would do I remember my brother’s red Mustang The first car I would learn to drive I remember the angry end of my father’s belt Having been caught in another lie I remember ice-skating on St. Leonard’s pond And on summer nights sneaking into the pool I remember gagging on that cigar puff Trying to pretend I was really cool I remember playing baseball with right field out of play Because we didn’t have enough for two full teams I remember at camp doing a panty raid And laughing at the girl's frantic screams I remember tear drops forming in my eyes The day my brother went away to college I remember agonizing over asking her out But not being equipped with the ask-out knowledge I remember wearing the cap and gown As “Pomp and Circumstances” they played And, even though this happened a lifetime ago I remember like it was yesterday