Girls streaming down
The escalator
Some with backs turned
Taking Selfies*
Arms outstretched and beckoning
I think them foolish
A school of following fish
And labor hard in my head
To scorn them
Envy whispering loud
Remembering those lost
Salad Days of Youth
Then to my mind a rescue:
A poem by William Carlos Williams:**
Come with us and play!
See, we are tall as women!
Our eyes are keen:
Our voices speak outright
we revel in the seas‘s green!
Come play:
It is forbidden!
Some days later
A brief shiver
And a lively party
Champagne like seafoam
Remind me that what seemed
Evermore forbidden
Is Forbidden Nevermore
As a beautiful woman
Extends her admiration
Arms embracing
Surely it was the champagne
Casting that momentary spell