the fourth of july

my dad never sang in church until my Dzia-Dzia died five years ago. now if i listen carefully i can hear my dad humming softly.

i like to think about Dzia-Dzia on the fourth of july -he fought in ww2, was an amazing husband, took pride in his country and family, & rumor has it that he was a great rollerskating dancer on the side. my life has been surrounded by so many busy bees who make this planet what it should be worth. thank you thank you for all the wonderful things that you do. thank you.

two attempted trips to join the festivities downtown were thwarted this weekend and i was unable to join the masses gathered at grant park this weekend. one thwart was my own fault and the second involved the six of us sitting at the montrose el stop for forty five minutes without a single train passing through. the train delay was due to a "police emergeny" & so we joined the rest of our crew in a landscaped backyard instead. on the way back to the apartment jamine & i listened to XRT and discovered the counting crows (the main event that i wanted to see so badly) were just about to perform live on the radio. although i would love to have seen them on stage, there is something to say about stripping down to minimalist garments, laying on the cool floor and watching the ceiling fan spin while listening to the live concert on a boombox. we joined back up with everyone for the evanston fireworks and found cozy rocks spattered along the coast of lake michigan. i admired the lights of the boats that were lined up facing the shore as though they were the front row of a calvary. i admired them almost as much as the smell of chris's tabacco, the tendrils of fireworks falling into the water, & the boy who was sitting next to me.

*Dzia-Dzia: polish for grandfather. pronounced Ja-Ja.