That Night
Visions of a long-ago night
headed to Bukowski’s
a time in life where anything
seemed possible
Blasting out
Jackson Browne’s
“Somebody’s Baby”
and my brother and I
singing along…
“She’s probably somebody’s only light,
gonna shine tonight”
A tale of tortured young love
that might never be
but where you still
held out hope
And something about it
a perfect moment in time
so common then
and so rare now
And then there
in Hank’s living room
the San Pedro harbor lights
twinkling beyond
The wine flowing freely
assembled weirdos
wannabes, hangers-on
and actual friends
And Hank narrowing his eyes
at my brother, asking…
“Are you getting anything here, baby?”
Meaning, material…
anything real, lasting, important
And I’m not sure about my brother
but I did.
Steven Meloan‘s writing has appeared in Roadside Press, Newington Blue Press, and Lummox Press, as well as at Litquake, Quiet Lightning, Library Girl, The Santa Monica Poetry Reading Series, and other literary events. His short fiction collection, St. James Infirmary, was released in 2023 on Roadside Press, and a collaboration collection with his brother Michael, The Kind the Pharaohs Try, was released in 2024 on Naked Light Press. His new hybrid collection of poetry, prose, and photography is due on Roadside Press in August 2027.
