SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, 1966

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, 1966

Sounds of treble, bass and tremolo,

Sailing in the sun or rain,

Soothe me of my languor,

Soothe me of my pain.

Beyond where the roses marry the trellis,

Upon the white fence gleaming with indigo,

A princess lives in that suburbia’s ardor.

And in her bedroom she combs her long, black hair,

While smoking with her windows open wide,

Overlooking the ocean, the cars and the tide,

In the sacred perfume of the summery air.

It is Southern California.  It is 1966.

She turns on her transistor and walks to the sea.

She hungers for her nightly fix,

To go crazy in the back of a Chevy,

Parked by the pier, just for kicks,

To love her boyfriend wildly,

To be kissed until she cannot see.

And the surfers come in

Along with the nascent night,

Among the campfires’ din,

As the gilded, descending, western light

Sinks over the rim

Of the massive Pacific

To torch lights dim,

To rock and roll salvific.   

 ~ John Zwerenz