The Brown-Eyed Girls

an old one that disappeared

Just as I was getting to work this morning,
Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" came on the radio.
The volume went up and the remembering started.
High school days of doing little and laughing over silly things.
Somehow that song became our theme, our anthem if you will.
We were the brown eyed girls.
We found hundreds of ways to keep ourselves entertained.
We sang songs.
We made up stories.
We found adventures
and maybe we never went anywhere.
When I think of the brown eyed girls
I remember
making Edsel Weaver blush as red as his hair,
her mama's french toast,
Jerry's hot fudge cake,
watching "Dead Poets Society".

That other brown eyed girl
taught me I was mortal during her first year
away at college.

When I find myself
up on the hill back home,
I go by and visit that brown-eyed girl,
and leave some flowers.

And when our song comes on the radio
I turn it way up
and sing as loud as I can. . .

Reviews

[Fabian G. Franklin]

"Do you remember when, we used to sing..." I remember my mom swooning over Rod Stewart singing Have I Told You Lately and asking me who did the song. I said, well, that's Rod Stewart singing, mom, but it's a Van Morrison song. She had heard of Rod Stewart but never Van the Man. The line about mortality proven reminded me sadly of my niece who died while away at college from bacterial meningitis. She just got sick and was dead within a few days. She thought she just had a cold. Play the music loud, for all of us. Bless, F.

[Emily B]

I really never expected to live this long. It's funny sometimes.

[Fabian G. Franklin]

"If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans." F.

[Emily B]

Thank you, friend.

[Rossen]

All I can say is this feels good!

[Ravyne Hawke]

I love the nostalgia of this poem, the flashbacks, the present, and the last stanza. I think we all have anthems from our youth that brings back good and bad memories, but we always feel the need to turn them up and sing along as loudly as we can... almost like we need others to remember with us. Excellent write and read. I enjoyed it immensely.

[Zatoichi]

Your words always make me smile

[Molafvt]

Ha, great write. More like prose than poetry and I enjoyed it immensely. It is a reminder of how important a part of our psychic life songs are and how they always invoke the memories of the day. Thanks for those memories Emily. I can hear you singing it......!

[NoneOfYourBusiness akaK..]

you touch my heart and plant beauty in my soil~

[Jasmine]

And when our song comes on the radio, I turn it way up and sing as loud as I can...

I'm going to finish school forever in 3 months. I'm looking back now on what has been my whole life, growing up - education. Your poem is heartfelt and moving and makes me want to cry. Absolutely beautiful.

[The Analog Kid]

This green eyed boy loves your use of the song in your well-constructed tribute to your friend. It covers the joy of growing up and mortality. Very bitter-sweet.

[Coyote Poetry]

One of my favorite songs. Brown eye girl. A excellent poem. A pleasure to read.
Coyote

[TamiViolet]

Emily, I read this about a week ago and it stayed with me. I had to come back tell you how wonderful this piece is. I, too, am among the brown-eyed girls, and you captured this decade with vivid expressions that made me smile and remember....

the music...
the boy....
the adventure...
the realization....

I truly can not express enough how my heart rests and becomes restless in the nostalgic beauty of your work.
Really, Emily.... true art. You are one of the best writers I've read.