My father, gone fifty years,
A transplanted German,
Arrived early, in the 1920's,
Fleeing the worldwide depression,
That decided to follow him to America.

Traveling salesman, raconteur,
A busy man who decided he
Found the right girl at age forty,
But by the time I was teen,
He was, then uncommon,
An older man, an older father.

Raised three kids,
Working six days a week.
Unlike the other fathers,
White shirt and tie every day
Even Sunday.

No backyard in the city,
To toss a base or football to his son,
Though he wouldn't, couldn't,
While his son grew,
Grew up worshipping
Three Gods:
Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and
The bold, the bald Y.A. Tittle,
Heroic sports figures.

The son who went to Yankee Stadium
For the first time,
There he saw the color
Emerald  Green in the Bronx,
In The House Ruth Built,
Whispered Hallelujah,
There, courtesy of someone else's dad.

Goatee he wore, and on Saturdays,
Wore a black jacket, striped pants
And Homburg hat to the synagogue.
Custom of his Hamburg upbringing.
The only one, the only dad,
Of course, dressed that way.
Proud of his style, his heritage,
Helping me not to fit right in.

Yet twinkle twinkle did his eyes sparkle,
Such that all the other children loved him,
Better and best.

But I was the son with the unlike,
The father, unlike any others.
Age thirteen, he's asked me this:
Now you are a man, I wish of thee this,
Accompany me to synagogue every day,
As is my custom, and all your father's,
Twenty generations before me.

When he passed, the stories of
His saintly deeds, his help,
How he saved, brought many to
The United States of America,
Including his five sisters and their families.
During, after WWII, became legends,
all the while, trying to make a living.

One time, I was listening to
Rock n' Roll, on the radio,
In the den, study, his home office,
Where
The Stereo,
proudly sat.

Chased me out,
Paperwork to do,
But stopped me first,
Listening to the song.
That happened to be next.

When this old world starts getting me down
And people are just too much for me to face
I climb way up to the top of the stairs
And all my cares just drift right into space

On the roof, the only place I know
Where you just have to wish to make it so
Let me tell you now

When I come home feelin' tired and beat
I go up where the air is fresh and sweet
Up on the roof
I get away from the hustling crowd
And all that rat race noise down in the street
Up on the roof

On the roof, the only place I know
Where you just have to wish to make it so
Let's go up on the roof
Up on the roof

At night the stars put on a show for free
And darling, you can share it all with me
I keep a tellin' you

Right smack dab in the middle of town
I've found a paradise that's trouble proof
Up on the roof
And if this world starts getting you down
There's room enough for two, up on the roof
Up on the roof

Up on the roof
Up on the roof
Oh, come on, baby
Up on the roof
Oh, come on, honey
Up on the roof
Everything is all right
Up on the roof
Say that, "It's alright"
Up on the roof
Oh, we gotta go up on the roof
Up on the roof
The Drifters - Up On The Roof

He listened carefully,
Pronouncing with an austere smile,
"That I like, now go."

Now fifty years later,
Having failed spectacularly as a
Father, family man, having never saved a
Soul or life, I remember the outcast days
Of my growing up years,
With a different kind of father
Than all the kids who
Played catch, had big suburban homes.

I never understood much,
Always struggled to be one
Unsuccessful in fitting in,
In my high school yearbook,
They outed my anomie,
"Either apart or ahead of us,
Nat stands, uniquely individual."

So here is a poem, an apology,
No, more an anthology, an anthem,
Of, and,
To my pop, for resenting, misunderstanding,
How
You were more than unique,
How you were special, in ways
No teenager could see.

I am have written some of this before.
Tender apologies, but when I awoke this
Post Thanksgiving Day, at
6:00 Ante Meridiem,
In not my bed,
In not my city,
Pandora surprised me
Real Good,
With an old song,
Up on the Roof.

These words,
The ones you are reading did not drift,
Nay, they spilled out in shades of
Tearful regretful guilt-filled,
Pooling tears that cannot n'ere erase
Prior youthful errors, grievous sins.

Of course,
They like to surprise you,
At the end of their song,
Twisty surprise ending.

I will say it, not you,
In some ways, not all,
I grew up to be just like him,

And for that,
I will give thanks,
Not just one day, every day,
Until it is among,
My last thoughts passing,
Proceeding me,
Preceding me,
As I depart this globe.

Yeah,
Twenty Seventeen,
Yeah,
You are feeling me.

Hey let me set the scene
It's night, and stars are shining bright
Parked car by the ocean side
She's sitting front seat
Right next to me
Can't help but look into your eyes
And that's when I decide
To turn the music up high
climb out the door
Opened up yours
Grabbed your hand
Yeah helped you out the car
Picked you up
Placed you on the Bonet
I climbed up on it
grabbed your hand
Helped you up again
Climbed to the roof
Helped you up to

I just want to ***** dance
With you (with you)
On this car roof
Let the playlist play
Yeah pull you close to me
I just wanna dance with you
All night, all right
Till the sun comes up
All I want to do
Is ***** dance with you
On the roof

You're looking mighty fine
In your dress, oh yeah
I like the way you're grinding
Upon me, I like to see
You smiling, laughing
Having a good time
Keep rocking out
Till the sun comes out
Yeah I like your moves,
Yeah, they're so smooth.
I like what you do.
You know what I want
Show me all you've got

I just want to ***** dance
With you (with you)
On this car roof
Let the playlist play
Yeah pull you close to me
I just wanna dance with you
All night, all right
Till the sun comes up
All I want to do
Is ***** dance with you
On the roof

Yeah, this has been perfect,
Yeah this was worth it
Don't know how this moment
Could get any better
And that's when a slow song
Just magically came on
And that's when the vocals
Came clearly through the speakers
And said all the things
I want to say to you
Like how I'm falling
more in love with you
Alright okay let's just dance real slowly
Spin you around
bring you back
Pull you as close as I can
That's when you rested your head
on my shoulder and you said

I just want to ***** dance
With you (with you)
On this car roof
Let the playlist play
Yeah pull you close to me
I just wanna dance with you
All night, all right
Till the sun comes up
All I want to do
Is ***** dance with you
On the roof

Oh what a night
And as the sun
Starts to rise
I'm sitting next to you
That is when you move in
Closer to my face
You look at me and smile
And that is when it hit
I had to kiss those lips
So I did, and that taste
Oh this moment
I don't want to let go of it
I love you. You know that I do
And that's when I heard
those magical words from you
I love you,
I want to do this all again
Do you think we can?
Well alright, hold tight
Because you know that

I just want to ***** dance
With you (with you)
On this car roof
Let the playlist play
Yeah pull you close to me
I just wanna dance with you
All night, all right
Till the sun comes up
All I want to do
Is ***** dance with you
On the roof

©2017 Written By Benji James