ONE MORE SONG

Mike, Larry, and I would soon find ourselves moving in different orbits.

I started to see less and less of Mike, and rumors of him wearing outrageous makeup in NYC clubs gained quick currency. The rumors accreted until it was said that he was living in the village with his boyfriend.

The last time I saw him was on the day of our 10th high school reunion, in a local pizza place with a girl I did not know. He wore a drab flannel shirt and jeans, with nothing on his face except a bit of dark stubble.

I lost track of Larry at around the same time I lost Mike. Folks said that he was living with a 40-year-old woman and her 10-year-old daughter, and I eventually heard a rumor that he had been institutionalized.

I have not seen Larry again.

I retreated to my poetry and to my books, and I am sure there was a surfeit of colorful rumors about me as well.

But before all that, there was time for one more song.

Just one more song…

Listen for: 0:38, Mike bringing the backup vocals. 1:33, as we get together one more time…