the keys

[saw]

I ran with the wild dogs
the feral drugged decades
of talkin' philosophy
under the influence
of many illegal moons

ran barefoot and shirtless
breathed subtropical salt air
ate mangoes, Cuban bananas
avocados...drank cheep beer
we liked to call "blue runners"

ate red snapper and yellowtail
from the teal green water
it was a colorful life that began
when I arrived at nineteen years of age,
broke the chains of mom and dad's rules

for the first time people noticed me
maybe it was my long auburn hair
bleached from working construction
in the endless sun, maybe it was
my flamboyant clothes

bell bottoms with stars sewn on by hand
like a walking hippie flag of discontent
maybe it was my newly discovered shit eating grin
I don't really know, but things were different,
than being bullied or ignored

I found a place a lot like paradise
dynamite sunsets at Mallory Square
travelers from all over the country and the world
lookin' for something better than what they had
Music. Music, Music.......Man !

Music was woven into every cell
and I remember that soundtrack
like it was yesterday
we would inject that vinyl
like whirling plasma infusions of life

[mtmynd]

(y)

[sasha]

The 70s - a time of discovery, both self- and externally. I discovered that a BS degree doth not a physicist make. I discovered that a short hiatus before grad school can stretch out to a lifetime. I discovered that there's joy and pride to be felt in doing even the humblest of work, as long as it's done well. And, for the first time in my life with disposable income, I discovered the cutout bins at the local record stores, and the universe of treasures they contained. Most importantly for me, I discovered that it's all about the journey.

[mtmynd]

The 70s - a time of discovery, both self- and externally. I discovered that a BS degree doth not a physicist make. I discovered that a short hiatus before grad school can stretch out to a lifetime. I discovered that there's joy and pride to be felt in doing even the humblest of work, as long as it's done well. And, for the first time in my life with disposable income, I discovered the cutout bins at the local record stores, and the universe of treasures they contained. Most importantly for me, I discovered that it's all about the journey.

Great memories, '67-70 for me... Haight Ashbury, Berkley, concerts at Family Dog & Fillmore... so much more to stretch the imagination never to go back.

[creativesoul]

Locks - sounds that levitate the soul
On the ceiling - shadows of lovers weekend mists hue madly
She lay half naked like a Vargas calendar eliminates ugly
Pressing forward against the 1957 Chevy with a clean perfect engine.. she glowed- she did not sweat- she perspired
Glistened
The great mystery opened the sky children’s eyes

[saw]

enjoyed the great responses....
i lived in the lower Florida Keys for 8 years
'68 to '76.....turned 21 in a Key West bar
drinking shots with shrimpers and lobstermen
a magical place to come of age
and I have a million stories
we either spun the vinyl or played music live every night
you'd meet a guy at the beach and he's show up that evening
and play the flute solo to Moondance note for note
and the weed was coming in daily from Columbia
Jamaica, Mexico ....every friday ( payday) I'd head over
to the record store and sit on a stool for hours listening
to music with headphones on....the girl that worked there
would actually open brand new albums for me to listen to
with no obligation from me to buy said album....though of course
I never left without an armful of new stuff.....or old stuff
living communally i realize now was a gift ....a cool way to experience a gorgeous location

[sasha]

Great memories, '67-70 for me... Haight Ashbury, Berkley, concerts at Family Dog & Fillmore... so much more to stretch the imagination never to go back.

My daughter's an instructor there, in landscape architecture...

[saw]

a magical time for many of us of that age group
there used to be a saying down there....You can take the boy out of Key West, but you can't take Key West out of the boy.

I found that to be true, I was molded a certain way that remains to this day....by the time and the place

[mtmynd]

Great memories, '67-70 for me... Haight Ashbury, Berkley, concerts at Family Dog & Fillmore... so much more to stretch the imagination never to go back.

My daughter's an instructor there, in landscape architecture...

... at the university, I presume..?

[mnaz]

The keys. The music of living through it all.