The Orange Juice Club

i'm in the orange juice club

no intoxicating syrupy concoctions

just the breath

of mists and sun washed

city asphalt air and whirring

rushing

sound.

i'm in the orange juice club

of outside-

i'll watch you watch you watch

you and you and you

and never (include)

me too.

Because there is no whirling of the orange juice

around the bowl of  a perfectly blown and spun glass

and no zillion adjectives-

flowery, fruity, dry, vintage.

Only a fresh squeezed pulpy flavour

The bright mandarin flesh

Slightly sour, always refreshing!

Drinking the new sunshine of summer

slanting reddish yellow glow on

short squat brownstones

their mix of brick coulours

the array of autumn

sugar maple trees

and painted birch trunks.

i'm in the orange juice club

no thank you, concoctions of fermented

wheat and barley soup,

squashed grapes

and pine tree berries too.

i'll be drunk on the seasons changing

and the touch of wind

on every hair

and summer--

Coney Island Cyclone, greasy food and

riding in the first subway car there.

Orange juice club.

plain old

straight up,

clear bright

yup.

                                                                                              Shuna Lydon

                                                                                              1995

On August 16 I turned 13. Zany, isn't it? Happy Birthday/Anniversary to me.

Comments

[Fatemeh]

Shuna, HAPPY DAY!

Love,
Fatemeh

[nosheteria]

Wow! Happy Birthday!

[Julie]

Love fresh orange juice.
Love Coney Island.
Love brownstones.
Love your poem.
And I *LOVE* that you told me that City Bakery is coming to Santa Monica. I am beyond excited.
Many happy returns, Shuna!
Julie

[Cathy]

Pretty great! Happy Birthday Shuna!

[Kudzu]

Auguri, Shuna -- and congratulations.

[Joy]

I'm two days late but Happy Birthday!!!!

[Jane]

I am on day 25 day of membership in the orange juice club and I am happy but scared.

[Melissa]

Hope it was a HAPPY day, Shuna!

[Amy]

happy happy happy!

[haddock]

Many happy returns of the day.

[farmgirl]

Happy, happy, happy belated birthday! What a fabulous poem. *smile* But wait. . . has the heat steamed my brain or does that really mean you're only 23?! Oh my! : )

[shuna]

ZOW! So many happys I can't count. What does AUGURI mean?

Ms Farmgirl-- ok here's the math: I was 24 when I made a life altering realization and decision. Somehow I have stuck with it for a while now and I am currently 37. I wrote the poem when I was at a restaurant that told me I could not have a "staff drink" of fresh squeezed OJ (that, by the way I squeezed daily!) because it was too expensive, even though everyone else could have Kettle one Martinis!! As you can imagine I didn't lay down and allow them this ridiculous hypocritical rule. Eventually I had my "staff drink" with the rest of them: fresh sqeezed orangy goodness.

[Becks & Posh]

haha - i think you and i are quite alike in many ways that might not at first seem obvious

[Kudzu]

Auguri is "best wishes" in Italian, which is not my native language though I wish it were.
It's used sort of interchangeably as "greetings", etc. But doesn't it sound like something you'd drink (as you would orange juice)?

[Dad]

Orange juice, a drink thirst quenching
Well deserves poetic mention
My words, like yours, don't truly rhyme
Yet OJ's golden taste is, a-h-h-h, divine!!

[Charlotte]

Congratulations and raising my coffee mug to wish you many, many more such happy days.

[farmgirl]

Hi Shuna,
Okay, I get it now! And tra-la, tee hee, I'm 37, too! *smile*

P.S. I'm so glad you demanded your freshly squeezed orange juice at that kooky restaurant. Though I suppose if they'd let you have it in the first place, we wouldn't be enjoying that fabulous poem now. *she smiles again*

[shuna fish lydon]

Farmgirl, you are very sweet indeed. thank you a few times.

Sam, this might be one of the most tantalizing comments i have ever received. All I seem to be able to do is cock my head to the right and tug on my whiskers...

[Dr. Biggles]

Good Health, Good Life and No disasters says Biggles.

Hugs

[Stephanie]

Tanti auguri, Shuna! Welcome to the 37 club--a nice place to be! Too bad I'll be jumping over to the 38s in a couple of months....sorry I missed you when you were in NYC, but I know City Bakery and Yonah Schimmels will pull you back here sometime!
-steph

[Andrea]

Happy Birthday!