Three Poems by Michael Estabrook: At Fox's Lobster House Overlooking Nubble LIghthouse, Dancing Lessons, With Some Other Men

At Fox's Lobster House Overlooking
Nubble Lighthouse

“That was only the second
lobster roll I’ve ever had
and it was delicious,
cool and tasty and refreshing.
Ever have lobster rolls, Robin?”
My daughter peers at me over her fork.
“No, I don’t like mayonnaise.”
And I’m thinking that she would have liked
the puffy mayonnaise-like clouds
floating against the deep blue sky
over Nubble Lighthouse glistening
like an Edward Hopper painting
in the afternoon sun,
tour bus smoking outside,
cameras clicking,
the gulls gliding overhead
peaceful as crayons.

Dancing Lessons

She danced with a young guy,
she told me, proud of herself,
danced with her 32-year old Mexican guide
on the tour through Cancun
and the Chichén Itzá Mayan ruins,
she danced with him, with another guy!
He said she danced really well.
Of course she danced really well,
she’s beautiful, and he’s a guy.
Some of the other men there
liked her moves too! Surprise!
So smooth and rhythmic, flowing
like honey to the Mariachi Band beat.
I’m sure glad all those dancing lessons
we’ve been taking over the past
few years are finally paying off.

With Some Other Men

I called her tonight
and she answered, that’s two times
talking to her this week
while I was away from home.
She doesn’t miss me much,
keeps busy, but a little missing
is better than nothing.
While in Copenhagen I experienced
Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra opera.
The orchestral music – beautiful,
moving, tender, and alive.
A few scenes really moved me,
such as when Boccanegra and Amelia
suddenly realized they
were father and daughter.
And another time
when Amelia’s lover, Adorno,
in a blind jealousy over her,
has nightmares of her with other men.
He loves her and she’s with them,
with some other men
and he’s powerless to make it stop,
the nightmares swirling ceaselessly
through his head. I’ve had
such nightmares so I know
how he feels. But thankfully
when I called her tonight she answered.

Copyright 2007, Michael Estabrook. © This work is protected under the U.S. copyright laws. It may not be reproduced, reprinted, reused, or altered without the expressed written permission of the author.

Michael Estabrook is a baby boomer educated first in the sciences, biology and chemistry, physiology and medicine, but moving later into literature and languages. Two Master’s degrees in Comparative Literature, one in Latin, the other in French. More recently achieved a Certificate in Publishing and Communications from the Harvard University Extension School and a PhD in History and Genealogy from Warnborough University in London. He’s published 15 poetry chapbooks over the years, the last one just came out about his Dad, “methinks I see my father,” and before that was “when Patti would fall asleep,” about his wife. Guess you could say he’s a family man.