the wad of gum incident

there was the time
when you were in high school,
slow dancing with Vivian,
your girl friend of three days,
captain of the cheerleaders,
the lights down low,
a gaggle of
other goofy teenagers
dancing too with
a beatles record playing
over and over again
on the turn table, while
upstairs her parents sat
sat on a long blue couch
watching ed Sullivan.
it was then that you dropped
a wad of gum
out of your mouth
and it stuck in Vivian's
long black hair
that went to the middle
of her back.
you struggled to get it out
with your teeth,
your lips
and tongue, until she finally
screamed and said
what are you doing?
the lights went up, the parents
ran down the steps
with a baseball bat to
see who might have been stabbed.
her girlfriends shrieked
when seeing the web of pink gum,
then they all cried, held hands
and gave me the evil eye.
fortunately you had more
gum, and began chewing on a fresh
piece, while you were asked
to leave.