Led Zeppelin

Listening to Led Zeppelin to pass the time,
Started thinking back to the summer of 1980,
The summer of my liberation,
Broke free from parental control,
Opened my eyes to other possibilities,
A crossroads in so many ways,
Stuck between elementary and junior high,
Realized that there was so much beyond,
Just what I saw or was told by mom or dad,
A world beyond my little neighborhood.
My parents went to Thailand,
Hoping to bring my sister back with them,
She who they left with my grams,
Back in ’74 when I came over,
Something about paperwork,
Something about governmental red tape,
My half-sister growing up half a world away,
So they shipped Jay and I off to Uncle D’s,
Over on the Eastside just past Gratiot,
South of 7 Mile just east of Hayes.
Uncle D and Aunt Dot—
Living on Glenbrook with Bri and Matt,
Along with Aunt Dot’s mom,
Assorted pets and not much else,
In a big brick house on a quiet street,
Lined with tall trees and broken sidewalks,
Haunted by the ghosts of Detroit’s past.
It seems like we spent most every weekend there,
My dad and uncle were the best of friends,
Just a year apart-but so different in every way,
And the worst of enemies when they fought,
Which was never that often that I can recall,
Uncle D filled the room with his presence,
His booming laugh and contagious spirit,
He was a good head taller than my father,
Who was quiet and average by comparison,
But memories can be distorted and faded by time.
Brian was four years my senior,
Entering his second year at Finney H.S.,
And Matt was four years younger,
Almost splitting the difference between me and my brother,
And Bri introduced me to Heavy Metal that summer,
The same year that we’d lose Bonham, Curtis and Marley,
Up until then I just listened to whatever,
Stuck on the Beatles’ Abbey Road,
And whatever else my parents had on vinyl/reel-to-reel/cassette,
From Jim Croce to Johnny Cash and Buddy Holly to Bollywood.
I listened to some Motown and 50's too,
Frankie Valli and even Elvis,
But Zeppelin was new and raw,
Even though it was twelve years after,
Nowhere near cutting edge by then,
But I was awestruck just the same,
And stayed that way until MTV,
Spin Magazine/Rolling Stone and alternative shows,
Introduced me to a whole other scene,
A sound that I still admire to this day.
Back in the summer of 1980,
I was all about Plant/Page/Bonham and Jones,
As we walked the back alleys of Detroit,
Looking for trouble looking for something,
To take us away from the everyday,
Led Zeppelin I, II, III and IV,
Presence, Houses of the Holy,
The Song Remains the Same,
Physical Graffiti and In Through the Out Door,
Couldn't believe my ears wanted to hear more.
They bridged the gap with their blues/rock,
Proto-heavy metal cock rock,
Expanded our minds with unique sounds,
Took us to Kashmir and Valhalla,
Tied east and west and everything inbetween,
Vocalized pre-teen angst and lust,
Introduced so many different ideas,
I could go on and on but I need a beer,
So if any of you feel the same,
Just let me know and I'll lend an ear...