He told me of his first love, when he was fourteen
A million summers ago when he first laid eyes on her
Riding in the back of her father’s pickup truck
A real beauty, a dark swan, her long neck
Accentuated by smooth hair caught up
In a sleek ponytail, she had on a pair of red shorts
And a Band-aid on her knee
Funny the things that you remember, he smiled
She looked like a displaced ballerina
Or an exiled princess with flowing gowns
Of dust flying out behind her as the truck
Bore down on the dirt road at the corners
Of Main and Belford Avenue
Their glance, he said, was one of a mutual knowledge
That they would meet again
That they would find each other
Over and over, and of course they did
That summer, usually meeting at Delamonte’s
Gas station and store
The only pump in that God forsaken town, he said
The old fashioned kind, that you don’t hardly see anymore
Where a body could go into the cool darkness
Of the little store, it smelled like Popsicles
Which, he informed me, was a relief from the smell of gasoline
That perpetually hung in the air, especially on a hot day
Still, it was almost like visiting your neighbor’s house
Stop for a while, sit on the steps outside
Have one of those chocolate, bottled drinks
Yoo Hoos, I think he called them
That is where they would meet, the sun burning itself
Into their skin and skulls
All they could do was sit, it was too hot to do anything else
Wave at the cars and trucks going by, they knew everyone that was in them
Sit and talk until the sun began its climb down
And hope that some of the purple in the sky would cool off
Their eyes at least
He had his first kiss right there on those steps
The Yoo Hoos between them, just sort of leaned right over
And…
You never forget a thing like that, he said, his eyes squinting
Seeing something from another time
The way the sky looked
And the patch of green, green grass growing
Along the old falling down fence on the side of the road
The sun backlit her hair like a halo and the way
Her lips were so soft, softer that he could have ever imagined
So slow and sweet that first kiss, you never forget a thing like that
He said, shaking his head a little
And sighed, Even now, I think of her…
When I smell gasoline