The Lost Boys and the Sirens Song

by

Doug Larson

What brought us to the edge of those dark cliffs
was no mystery
it wasn’t the damp black cold of the wind breathing in
from the sea
it wasn’t the call of the full moon
nor was it the beckoning whisper of the waves
it was simply good dope and too much beer
and the sultry seduction of an amphetamine midnight
whispered invitations flooding our veins
like promises of sex

Giddy, we laughed like leprechauns
as we descended the cliff
sleeping bags in hand
loosened rocks skittering down in rivulets of dirt
suspended seconds of silence,
then clattering as sedimentary hail
upon the boulder strewn shoreline
Even the full moon was laughing
not at us
but in concert with the stars
in a lighthearted chorus of approval
for our foolish bravado
we were the midnight captains of a mystery ship
pirates of penchants
with a proclivity for adventure
and a stoic if somewhat stupid compulsion for calamity
I don’t know how we made it down intact
all members of the tribe present and accounted for

but we did
and we didn’t even notice or acknowledge our luck

The tide was out as we clambered over slippery rocks
salt water squishing in our shoes
and the smell of the sea saturating our lungs
as we marched to this small plot of dirt and weeds
that would make our beds that night
and we joked and we laughed and we smoked
staring through liquid blue-black haze at the moon
until the giggling stars winked from view
hidden behind those ponderous draperies that were
the lids of our eyes

Morning did come
and the magic, and the adrenaline, were gone

All that was left was the pounding of our heads
the growling of our bellies
and an urgent need to piss
along with a predictable lack
of fresh water

No lack of salt water, though
for like it or not
the tide had come in as we slept
and we were stranded like castaways
flotsam from a shipwreck
a haggard and niggling crew
left to squabble over our remaining cigarettes
until the moon favored us once more
with a low tide

and an exit

NEXT?
Why don't you look at GO!
by: Robert Cameron Hazelton
from: Amsterdam, NY, US

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