A Girl by the Name of October

A gentle breeze blows strands of hair

til they sweep across my face.

I laugh aloud when they tickle

and rub the tickle sensation away.

I plug in my earbuds as I walk along,

and search for a song with my name.

I want to listen while strolling home

to the only Sweet Baby James.

I  play it so loud earbuds aren’t needed

and a young man stops me and says,

“October Road, that’s one of my favorites,

may I listen as we walk ahead?”

I play it twice since the guy is so nice

and dashing in a cute rakish way.

He tells me his name and asks for mine

“October,” I answer. He grins. “You don’t say.”

“Yes, true enough, October’s my name

and I’m celebrating today for a reason.

See, I’m now 21, an official adult

plus, it’s fall… the best of all seasons.”

We don’t stop there; we meet many times,

always playing and repeating our song...

naming the music the theme for our wedding,

our daughter the same, when she comes along.

Two little girls later… what do we name them?

November and December, no lie.

When they have children, they follow the theme,

one May, one June, one July.

Now old and gray, we still play our song,

and hint at completing the queue.

While March and April are still on the table

May is stubborn, “I’m naming this babe for you.”

Another October runs through the house

to shower love on Gram and Grandfather.

Our time now is short, years passed in a blink,

but each year has been such a wonder.

Five decades together, five with Sweet James,

two years mourning the love of my life.

It’s time to see the dashing guy waiting

on the girl he took for his wife….

  ... a girl by the name of October.