Friday Nights

No left hand turns permitted

into our parking lot

from routes 9 and 35

north and south bound

 

An exact quote

echoing out of my head

from a past I barely remember

 

The quarters flew

into brilliant machines

of color and sound

 

My mind raced

as hands

flew across the controls

 

Popcorn and Twizzlers

 

All the show times

spelled out in white

over a blue background

in a time before red and black LEDs

made you wait

 

Pinochle being played at the house

 

There was sugar in the sauce

that made it taste like candy

 

Dark blue velvet ropes

forming lines with class

 

Did I know how important it all was?

 

When we missed the beginning

or lost the car in the rain

 

Saturday afternoon

triple feature

for my birthday

 

So disappointing or

my all-time favorite

 

That never mattered

 

Everything else did

 

No whammies

No whammies

Stop