Hot August Night 1972
by Sharmagne Leland-St. John

A hot August night,
the crowd in their seats
at The Greek
buzzed like cicadas
in a forest of Carolina Pines.

Anticipation rising
I asked the boy next to me
"Are you excited?"

"No", he replied,
"My friend invited me...
I thought it was Neil Sedaka."

The audience wondered,
"Will this concert be
another milestone in your career,
or a Greek tragedy?"

Then, you strode across the stage
dressed in denim and beads,
and the night was yours!

The spotlight turned
your hair into
a red halo behind you.

Your songs, like hymns
in the night,
filled the summer air–
You owned us heart and soul

For 50 years
I've hummed those songs
and still feel the pain
of deep love sought
 

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