by Dana Janine Diamond
The things we remember
my sister forgetting to put the car in park
in the temple parking lot
picking me up from day camp,
it rolled right into the shed in the back
and crashed the whole thing down,
that was a memorable mess,
oh my, I was about my daughter’s age then,
when I took the bus home from Camp Centerland
passing field flowers waving in the breeze
hundreds of bottles of beer on the wall
came down when Billy was one
and one of us was kissing someone
in a tree and yarn made cradles
while we sang in three part harmonies…
even with her forgetfulness that day
my sister held onto her boyfriend
more than forty years
and we can laugh
at all the mistakes made along the way.
Now, me, I’ve had a few accidents,
I dented our family garage while backing out early on,
which I’ve come to realize is pretty common
but then I must have had my mind on other things
which can happen when you’re on the run…
I’ll back up a bit now
to about a year before my sister got married,
I went away to a new camp
it seemed like every day was a dream
where I learned to sail
and water ski, fish and portage a canoe,
bunked with some kids from Mexico
and even faced a bear straight on.
I loved how the lights reflected in the lake
as we gathered for the Sabbath
I heard God singing in the trees
felt his breath upon me as I gazed
at his reflection rippling out from me.
One night I was particularly excited,
during the all-camp gathering to watch a movie
or some talent show,
I snuck out of the main hall in the dark
with the boy who beckoned me,
he wasn’t even the boy I was crushing on,
but he was very cute and what a catch!
What ten year old girl wouldn’t be thrilled
that an eighteen year old counselor
wanted to kiss her under the stars
cradled by the trees, feeling the foreign
sensation of his hand on her breast,
sometimes I look at pictures
of me and my group
dressed up for the 50’s dance,
jumping into the sun-warmed, still cool lake,
and think how small they looked,
they might have felt better
if he had waited a few years
because they really got bigger later on…
Did I mention he offered me a joint?
I didn’t need it, though, the kisses
and his touch were heady enough.
You can imagine my surprise
when one day about twenty years later
I drove to the movies at the Beverly Center
in my red mustang with a friend,
and as we were kibbitzing over popcorn
waiting for the feature to begin,
I saw my camp on the big screen
I actually stood up in the movie theater,
pointed and exclaimed,
that’s my camp!
Now, Hollywood being Hollywood
and Jewish geography being what it is,
serendipitously, I was invited to
the premiere, and I watched
the actor who looked just like the counselor
who felt me up
was made the hero and let go for some noble reason;
everyone has their own memory and point of view
and that writer is entitled to his.
I was a little shocked, though quietly so,
it’s taken me years to realize we’re all guilty
of glossing over the horrific parts.
So, the car I’m driving now
has really been jerking me around
it’s just not worth the price to fix it,
sometimes you have to let go
when something’s not working right,
and just get into something new
I guess I’m a suburban girl
through and through,
so much of my life
has been lived in a car,
(you know who you are)
’cause I don’t think I’m all that
forgettable, but, as I said, we all have our own stories
I often wonder what my daughter
will remember
it’s certainly not the things we own.
COPYRIGHT 2010 Dana Janine Diamond ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See Copyright Notice pertaining to thejewishpoetess.wordpress.com
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Dana Janine Diamond 