Like Sweet Summer Wine

I had been sleeping at her place
two or three nights a week
was even keeping a toothbrush there
so in my mind we were already exclusive
but we still hadn't talked about it yet.
Her and I got breakfast burritos
at this place on Horne & Main
and she was driving me to work
"So are we...official now? I mean, you're not seeing any other girls or-"
"No, darlin'. There's just you. Only you."
"Yeah?"
"Of course. I'm just crazy bout' ya." I said,
lifting up our intertwined hands and kissing hers.
"Well alright then. I just wanted to be sure."
The next morning we were laying in bed
when I went and blurted out
I love you.
She said it back
the two of us just as happy as a couple of kids
on Christmas.
I went to work that day
at the ghetto call center
and the guys were talkin' about
some trick they were messin' with
and how they hoped their girlfriend wouldn't find out.
I just smiled to myself
opening my Hank Williams bag
and peeking inside
at the Polaroid picture
of Jean's naked body lying on the bed
and another one
of her ass with a big, red, hand print.
I could never pull the shit like the guys in the call center
this woman was all I wanted
all I needed.
She lives in this 1920's house
in the historic district of downtown Mesa.
There's a big record player cabinet
in her dark wood floored living room
and we spin records
Billie Holiday
Black Angels
The Doors
The Blasters
Patsy Cline
all the gems.
Smoking bowl after bowl
of good reefer
high as goddamn kites
a seemingly endless flow of conversations
laughing & kissing.
Sometimes we kiss for a little too long
get ourselves all worked up into a frenzy
and I'll have no other choice
but to take her right there
on the railing of the porch
or up against the wall, on the side of the house.
We trip shrooms together
both our eyes lookin' like Morrison
our words stumbling
our bellies shaking with laughter
lighting sticks of incense and drawing in the air with them
watching 'Silence of the Lambs' for the come down
while eating pizza in bed.
Playing hooky from that call center job
driving to the river
smoking two joints on the way
Sabbath & Creedence providing the soundtrack.
Getting lost and found again
walking down to the river's edge
a pack of wild horses
with young & skinny colts
trying to keep up
they all came running past us.
"Wow!" Jean exclaimed.
She loves horses.
They drank thirstily
loudly gulping the green & brown water
into their big pink mouths.
But we got too close
scared em off
all fourteen of em', sloshing & trudging upstream
even the little colts.
"Wanna get in?" Jean asked, an ear-to-ear grin on her face.
We opened two hard ciders and took big swigs
standing in the middle of the river
floating with the current
swimming against it
diving under
wiping it on our chests
trying to stay cool.
We played in the Salt River for hours that day.
And I remember just before we got out
she was sitting in front of me, my arms around her
her bikini top floating
an American flag wrapped around her shoulders.
We both stared ahead, the river shimmering, the mountains orange & towering,
the sky, bright blue with snow white clouds, slowly floating above us.
"So beautiful." Jean, cooed.
I looked back down to her tits
under the water
lit up in the sun.
"Most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
But it wasn't just her tits,
it was everything.
Everything is beautiful.
And summer is here.