Sand, Strawberries and Mingus
By: Ben Slackenov
August 22, 2004
“Nobility and love in the music,”
That’s what she had
She read poetry like the Virgin Mary
Softly cradling baby Jesus into the star strewn night
She played the jazz of the poet’s mentor
And swung this boy right into manhood
i was seventeen and vacationing in California
With the parents, of course
Carmella and i, a girl that i had met on the beach,
Were lying in bed naked,
No covers,
Just her, holding a book between us
Occasionally glancing up to make sure i was listening;
She was reading poetry
With Charles Mingus playing in the background
We were at her place
She was twenty-five and had started walking with me
On the beach along the wet sand
i knew she was older, but not by how much
i thought our conversation had become long
When she took my hand
i was startled
When she pulled me down onto the dry, soft, sand
She kissed me like i had never known
i couldn’t stop my hand from moving up her leg quickly
She pushed it away and touched my nose
“Let’s go somewhere you can practice young man.”
My eyes got big and we ran to her car
Soon after, there i was, with her lying in front of me naked
She knew how to handle young men
She wore me out quickly
We had both raced to get our clothes off
And after the physical bed race ended,
She was perspiring a little bit from my impatience
She rolled over, picked up a book
And Held it between us
She settled into the mood of the jazz
She had started playing Mingus when we walked into her luxury apartment
The music was strange and unfamiliar to me,
Like the room, her open personality, lavish furniture,
Soft bed, and shelves of books along one wall
She began reading poetry
Stephen Crane, She called it
“A naked woman and a dead dwarf;
Wealth and indifference.
Poor dwarf!
Reigning with foolish kings
And dying mid bells and wine
Ending with a desperate comic palaver
While before thee and after thee
Endures the eternal clown- -
- -The eternal clown- -
A naked woman."
At “Poor dwarf,” she dragged her fingers across my cheek
And off my chin
During “Endures the eternal clown- -,”
She gracefully dropped her hand between her breasts,
And then spoke the next two lines looking at me with soulful eyes.
She smiled, giggled, and ran out of the room
When she returned,
She was holding a large bowl filled with strawberries
Whip cream jiggled in a large pile on top of the red fruit
She had a bottle of wine under her arm
She sat the bowl on the night stand,
Took the wine bottle from under her arm,
Pulled a drawer on the nightstand open and removed a cork screw,
Opened the bottle,
Took a long drink and handed it to me
i was on my knees taking a drink when
She lied upon the bed and put a handful of cream on each breast
She topped each mountain with a fat, whole strawberry
i set the bottle on the other night stand
And ate the two strawberries as she stroked me
Then i dove into each breast like a rabid dog,
Eating, licking, pushing my face into her bosoms
With each drum beat,
Moving my head with the melody
i could feel her hands mussing up my hair
She grabbed my shoulders, pushed me up,
Took two huge handfuls of strawberries, and squashed them,
Rubbing them all over her chest and stomach
She took another handful of cream and put it between her legs
Falling back, she motioned for me to come to her wriggling her fingers
i got on top of her and started to lick the strawberries
As i went for penetration,
She pushed my forehead up with one finger
Wiggling her finger back and forth,
She said, “When you’re finished licking up all the strawberries,
Then you can have the cream”
And i licked
i licked to every bass thump,
Every horn line,
i kissed on drum beats
i couldn’t stop until the taste of strawberries was gone
And the cream was heaven
i licked hard with every musical movement
Pushing my tongue into her until
Her feet stamped and she squeezed my ears between her thighs
When i jumped up and kissed her mouth, i tasted more strawberries
She brought her firm Latin ass off the bed
Grabbing my ass,
She pulled me into her
i pushed like i had never pushed before
i pumped hard, slow, and long, with my body
Taught like a bass string more than an octave high
i connected with her at the bass of my shaft,
Pounding out each note like i wanted the whole world to hear it
And i did want the whole world to hear it
i wanted Mingus to hit that bass with his big swollen fingers
And never stop,
Never,
Never,
Never
