Smoking pot became part of my vocabulary

50 years ago

Only 24 weeks of using green grass

The six months culminated

With Aretha’s “Ain’t no Way”

Flip side of “Since You’ve Been Gone”

Ah the days of B side memorabilia

My voiceless chords sang

Each line

To my conventional Fairfax buddies

Sam, Howard and Louie

180 days of pretending to be

Popular and straight

Green joints popping

I made them laugh with my screeches

Nodules waiting to grow

No fear of hoarseness

Prickly goose pimples

Take me back to lady Aretha

She knew that only a man

Could love me

If a boy would let me.