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View this writing in the free John T. Hitchner chapbook Not Far From Here.		you can also get this writing as a 6" x 9" perfect bound book! click on the image or follow the link below to order Not Far From Here

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Almost

John T. Hitchner

The dance pavilion a steam bath
like all Saturday nights that summer.
Ray and I were sure,
sure as hell this time,
we could get two girls to drive home:
“Definitely tonight!”
Maybe stop for pizza and beer
(if we didn’t get carded),
maybe park above the lake,
play it cool,
no rush,
see what happens.
Why not?

So we joined the other stags
and watched the unattached girls fast-dance,
blouses sweat-splotched, arms outstretched,
pumping air like crazy to “Willie and the Hand Jive,”
legs jack-knifed the way Keith Richards riffs today.
A couple girls slow-danced with us,
danced almost every slow dance with us,
these girls very nice,
very nice indeed,
real close on “The Great Pretender” and “Don’t.”
Even on the last dance—
“I Only Have Eyes for You”—
I mean, it was so close.
We were almost there.

After the lights came up,
Ray and I walked these very nice girls outside,
and just before Ray said, “Can we drive you home?”
one of them says, “My dad’s picking us up.
See you next week, maybe.”
“Yeah, thanks,” the other one says,
like they had it rehearsed,
almost like we did.
Almost.

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