things were cheap back then

back then

beer was cheap,

milk and eggs,

rent for a one bedroom

apartment was

two hundred

and thirty-five dollars

a month,

utilities included.

gasoline

was 29 cents a gallon.

cigarettes

were nothing

to buy out of a vending

machine.

spare change.

cokes were a dime,

as was

a phone call

from the booth on the corner.

a fried

chicken was three bucks,

with a loaf

of bread and slaw.

a burger

and fries with a large

coke

was less than a dollar.

women of the night charged

12 bucks

for a roll

in the hay, ten for the girl,

two for the room

they were different times,

only real true love

was still hard

to come by.