One Single Day

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Three little letters at the top of the list
Glowing faint on that flickering screen
How many quarters into the abyss
Every night ‘til I’d give up and leave

My mind drifted off as I gripped those controls
Whose hands could be faster than these
I would ask Old Man Phillips but he won’t tell a soul
The name against which I compete

All stoic he’d stand with his wife at his side
While his daughter would fix the machines
Lovely Sarah Louise in the bright flashing lights
Breaking young men’s hearts six night a week

So I’d run through the streets when I finished my chores
Dreaming of Sarah Louise
Then one day it hit me when she walked in the door
An “S” and an “L” and a “P”

And it’s strange and I’m grateful to finally admit
There was some kind of magic in that penny arcade
Making one single memory from one single kiss
In one single moment on one single day

It’s been 32 years and I thank the Good Lord
Now she spends all her evenings with me
Still she never does share how she put the high score
On the last screen of Street Fighter III

 - March 2020 -                                                                                                                             #327