by Milton P. Ehrlich
Spring is here.
Earth Day volunteers hand me
a to do list to preserve life on earth.
I walk, drive a hybrid if I have to,
jiggle the thermostat cool
in winter and warm in summer.
I climb up Fort Lee Road ,
take a short-cut on the shoulder of the highway
to the G.W. Bridge to the best bakery
in Bergen County ..
An unending flow of behemoths race by
careening around the corner as if vying
for the finish line at the Indy 500.
On Earth Day, I’m pleased to pass a patch of pansies,
yellows and blues, a surviving island surrounded
by a sea of asphalt, grime and a discarded pair
of black panties lying in the driveway of Sunoco.
Exhaust fumes and grit fill foul air.
With a running nose I step over mangled hubcaps,
busted Budweisers, a cracked five gallon jug
of Deer Park pristine drinking water and a devilish
looking horned, ribbed sex toy that must have been
tossed soon after the panties hit the ground.
I long for sun-filled April mornings when blooming forsythias
were untarnished fences of pure yellow and robust
azalea’s pink and purple blossoms illuminated front yards
like a Florentine wedding celebration.
I savored soft April evenings when my girlfriend and I
parked my old Chevy in secluded parks and streets
where giant oaks and maples provided lots of cover.
All we craved was privacy for unleashing youthful passion
as our car shook and shuddered to the sweetest pleasure
of springtime lust, grounded to the earth as best we could.
Milton P. Ehrlich’s publications can be viewed at his website: Milton.Ehrlich.com.
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