Three Charlotte Hornets caps
“This is fucking awesome”
Parents look on from the grille upstairs
But that’s not the way I have ever rolled ‘em
It’s me and Vonny skating hand in glove
Like back in the day when she was five
But we get funny looks ‘cos she’s now 19
And says “dee-ad, look, you’re the oldest one here tonight”
As we weave through the holes in the cotton-knit swarm
That drones across the rink with its hockey tattoo
I let go for a moment to the purple onslaught
Of hip-shaking chicks and kamikaze boys
But I find her hand again before the nervous tyro corners
While the lone black dude comes out the penalty box
Keeping it real with a Dodgers cap
That matches the color of the snap-on rental skates
I can’t tell the difference anymore
Between the kids’ karaoke and the actual songs
But I know how to play the Zamboni interval
By waiting it out Southern-fried style
And roll leisurely out after the mad rush is
over
It’s deep waiting – "that’s how we do it" –
I’m still wearing my grandfather’s clothes
And my kid says she feels like a kid again
