after 1979

The way you want its
lane-marking drum line not to end’s

like the first time you listen
to Blur’s Coffee & TV;

bring on the highway,
the hedonistic drawl

of Corgan’s limp wrist
out the passenger-side window.

For the tallish boy we all destroyed
who hugged his Melon Collie double set

as young Joaqin Phoenix clutched
his porn in Parenthood –

I always thought he hoped the song
was where his older brother had gone,

hit by a semi-trailer while
fielding a cricket ball on Christmas Eve,

carried along to where Tooronga Road
turns into Dandenong & eternity.

Sorry. This is getting a bit Stand By Me.