A PICNIC FROM THE PAST

jo (hannahthemaid) recently asked the poet community if any of us had been on a real picnic.  that jogged my memory of a picnic that occurred 34 years ago..........this is what i remember......................

i was dating a young man named christopher (actually his real name is christopher robin lefevre, but i wasn't his pooh.......lol).  he was 16 and i was 18.  i had graduated from high school and he was still in high school.  i had dated the same boy, john, all through high school and then after graduation.........john dumps me to pursue other life avenues.  i was devastated, but then christopher came along and i fell for him.........he had long hair, was thin and "artsy" looking, with very nice facial features.  his goal in life was to become a concert pianist.  i loved music...........so we sorta fit..........

during mine and chris's relationship he asked me if i would like to go camping with him.  he had all the equipment needed and would bring the food.  we went to high falls park, which at that time wasn't a big tourist trap, and found a nice spot along the river to set up the campsite.  chris spread out a tablecloth and opened up a real picnic basket which contained a bottle of wine, cheese, french bread, and strawberries.  ok, maybe this isn't the "true picnic" that jo was speaking of, but it was really nice and was pretty darn close.  we dined on the foods and wine and snuggled in for a cozy night together. 

ok, before anyone starts letting their imaginations run wild.........i was still a virgin and so was chris.............and he brought along a friend's dog he was dog sitting, which was a large black mop.......and the trees were alive with ticks...........the dog, chris and i were covered in ticks before the sun came up.............so it wasn't the romantic get away we had originally hoped for.................but it was still nice.........up till the tick attacks..........

thanks jo for jogging my memory on this.............i have so few memories of my past life.  sometimes i think it is best that way, but then something like this arises and i feel good inside.....................i miss chris.............he was such a sweetheart.  i wish we still had the connection we once had.............i would think about him and he would somehow contact me, either by phone or by letter..........but we have lost touch.  he was headed to new york last time i heard from him..................chris, take care wherever you are ok???