The First Teenagers
It seemed a good time to have a good time,
adventures on the brink of a new world
like sputniks in orbit or angels blessed
in coffee bars on Saturday nights.
Everything’s American, it’s nearly
always summer and it’s hard to resist
someone who looks like someone in a film.
And this is just the start of it, the long
suburban jitterbug and twist
for those who found themselves on the jukebox
or in the back seats of cars at the drive-in,
the first people ever to have been kissed.