The official prompt for the day wasn’t working for me, so I chose to use the one from Writer’s Digest, The First (blank).

The First Time I Ever Laid Eyes on You


I couldn’t not notice you
in your Andean striped bell-bottoms
and floral shirt
and your long sideburns

when we went around the room
introducing ourselves
you said you were Greg
and you were gregarious

your laugh was infectious

afterward, some of us planned to meet
at Friendly’s for an ice cream cone
you invited me to come with you
I’d just gotten my first car 
and wanted to drive myself
but you insisted 

your car’s passenger side door didn’t latch
so you tied it to the steering wheel with a length of rope
and told me I had to sit right next to you
on the bench seat so I wouldn’t fall out

not the most auspicious of beginnings
but within two years we were married
and we remain so 47 years later

©ARHuelsenbeck