Long Island Johnny at the Tiki Bar, 2020
Old Bird (see in Gallery / Store) | Image by Bruce Harris
This shot was taken at the beach among hundreds, maybe thousands, of gulls. The bird was off alone, away from shore, and warming in the sun. I was reminded of weathered souls with their ‘seen it all’ arched brows. And if they hadn’t seen it all, then they’d seen a lot, which brought me to other weathered and arched brows.
LONG ISLAND JOHNNY AT THE TIKI BAR, 2020
Cold December Florida dusk. Hardly anyone there.
Hardly anyone is me and you and a few others
together alone in the pandemic air.
And Long Island Johnny from Long Island
on tour with a thousand songs in his head.
We are front bench with pina colada rum float
tipping in your sweet mouth, tequila shaken
over ice with a beer chaser for me.
The singer’s dog is laying at his tapping stool-hung feet.
Both muzzles well travelled and gray. A guitar
almost tuned. A voice almost untuned. A beard
almost trimmed. Microphone on his lips, eyes closed
living every word he didn’t write.
Except one he explained. An original written
at a bar years ago after telling a boss to go fuck himself.
Repeated over and over and over.
The chorus in his song a sing-a-long.
And knees tapped at every other
table and heads turned to listen
to the poetry of the people.
Like the old man with his searching eyes.
With his daily-special beer. With a twinkle
and a cheers. His own mutt sitting near the sign
that said, no dogs allowed.
He wore a wedding band.
Smiled where he should smile.
Mouthed words with a laugh.
Wiggled on his seat. Perhaps
a ghostly habit that could raise
an offered hand for a dance
with a shadow.
Eyes glisten.
A swallow.
Then a jerk
toward the chorus
his glass raising to his dog’s
eager stare.
Like the man across from us
his wife laughing as with his mouthed
words. He wore Army green.
Wore it like the singer sang
the song. A flag patched
to his sleeve.
His eyes bugged out.
His teeth crooked and big.
Round cheeks marked drinkers’ red.
She held his arm through her’s.
I imagine she’s held it close and tight
many times. And I imagine he might
have seen things that twist a face
for the rest of its life.
He sang every word
never having heard the song.