Heroes

July 4, 2013

I sat in my work room, writing

I took a break

To play and post some music

I played it quietly because

Down the hall, in his room,

The Boy, overstimulated from the fireworks earlier

Was winding down, reading.

He would often complain if I played music

But he had started to like it

And I was in the holiday spirit.

I played Ray Charles’ “America the Beautiful”

Hendrix’ “Star Spangled Banner” from Woodstock

Then Bowie singing Simon and Garfunkel’s

“America” and his own “Heroes”

At The Concert for New York City.

All three performers sent chills up my spine

The way they always do, then suddenly

The Boy’s voice came down the hall

“What was that?”

I froze, caught like a naughty child.

“David Bowie.”

“David Bowie?”

“Yeah.”

“What was the song?”

“Heroes.”

“Heroes?”

“Yeah.”

There was a pause,

Then, one of the rarest things to hear

A 12-year old say to his parent:

“It was cool.”

I smiled and went downstairs to tell my wife.

While I was down there, I heard “Heroes”

Drift down quietly from his tablet upstairs.

That January, The Boy was gone.

Two years later to the day

The Starman joined him

And The Boy taught him to fly.

(5/11/19)