Golden Boy
(He was a handsome blond haired young man.)
You thought that you could fly.
That all of the doors were open for you.
Kindness was your password,
inherited from your father; your
mother maybe not so much,
nor your young wife—
You were the blond smiling young
man of spring’s promise, of summer’s laughter.
You were a wild child of a prosperous father
and of your parents’ careful love.
And you believed that you could safely fly,
but death finished you off by pulling you
down from a luminous summer sky to
smash against the hard finality of earth.
The Blue Mist Hotel
The inexpensive Miami Beach motels stood side by side with very little room between them. The backs of the motels faced the Atlantic Ocean.
They were a young couple with a five or six year old blonde haired daughter. The rest of the guests were Jews and the motel was owned and operated by Jews. Everyone treated the young couple and their daughter well—like family.
One night most everybody watched Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner? on an outdoor screen as the warm Florida trade winds blew.
The young couple were one number off from winning a bottle of champagne; a young single man happily won it.
They noticed a woman who looked to be in her mid thirties or so tan herself every day from morning until late afternoon. You could tell that she pretty much wanted to be left alone so they only said “good morning” or “good afternoon” to her.
They found out on the first day that they had to rent the chaise lounges, but the fee for them wasn’t unreasonable.
One sunny day an old man from Barberton. Ohio was enjoying the hugh foamy Atlantic waves. The young man stood close by him; he also liked being struck by the waves. They both struggled to maintain their footing as the waves advanced toward them and then withdrew. “Nothing else like this!” the old man shouted above the noise of the surf. The young man nodded in agreement and smiled…
Years later the family drove by the motel on another visit to Miami Beach. They noticed that the motel appeared to be in a state of disrepair and deterioration. They didn’t stop their car for a further look at it, but kept moving along the busy highway.
