#225 In 1984

In 1984

It was days of  yore

Of plenty

And innocence to spare

I was learning

To use my Retina camera

Make model rockets

And how to refinish a boat

I was in big trouble

For throwing stones at the window

But the window was broken

Actually it was cellophane

And it wasn’t stones

It was wood chips

So actually:

Throwing wood chips at the cellophane

“Get out of my sight” She said to that

I was into Men At Work

Van Halen was the bomb

I was a mix tape fool

I made them for fun

Using my patch cords

Listening to them on my walkman

Then recording them over

I mowed the grass

Enjoying the sweet  smell

Of Lawn Boy two stroke mix

Clipping and trimming with hand clippers

Wearing my shoes out on the East Lansing lawn

I had birth control glasses

Anything cooler was automatically vetoed

My mother dressed me

I couldn’t leave home unless she approved

I dreamed of owning a Ferrari someday

Though I had no means to pay

Hitching rides from my friends brother

Was as close as I could come

In 1984

I glued the lock on Mr. Ball’s classroom door

I lied to his face when he confronted me

His braces clad teeth gritted

I continued my habit

Of falling out my chair during class

Making a racket on the floor

I thought it was funny

In 1984

Much the same as today

I didn’t know what I want to do when I grow up

But I was going into the eighth grade

I was king of our school

High school was still a lifetime away