There was beer, beer caps that laid across the surface of the smooth white ceramic tiles
grabbed hold of my dad's feet pulling at the brown boots.  My dad slouched  in the big
brown leather sofa which recked of  odor from the long whites socks he wears on his feet,
with  the  ice cold bottle in his left hand and the way the big blue eyes and red lips of his two small children look directly at him. Their lungs were tired from begging him to stop, “daddy please stop.”

The night’s glowing stars shone  as we sat on the deck of the house, which was built on the  green grass of the golf course. As the night went on the voices became louder and louder bouncing off the walls of the house and making them be heard all throughout the rooms of the house. As my mother spoke to my aunt was curious about her question of, “why are you letting my nephew drink when he's not old enough.” My aunt, full of rage threw the flower painted plate and yelled back “don't tell me how to parent my my son.” The voices collapsed like the foundation of of an old building.

As the church bells rang on Sunday morning the young golden children of my family, dressed in long flowing dresses they wore on a spring day, their blue eyes that spoke when you gaze into them. Ashley, her soft pale hand that danced when we held our hands together, comparing the size of my cold pale hand to the touch of her small hand that was warm and soft, walking together along the gym floor of the parish center to sip the wine, colored red like the picked Michigan cherries.

I have not eaten the cherries, as once I almost choked on the pit when we were cherry spitting. Forgotten how to stand. At the shoreline I stand were the water is pulled backed to its original form after the waves cover my toes. The place where I reflect, where I go and lose my mind, and smile. As I stand at the edge of the shoreline I feel the crisp cool air which blows off the lake. The beauty that surrounds you, captures your mind and  will take you to somewhere  real that has all  the answers to your prayers,  which your mind takes you slowly and calmly, with the sounds of the waves crashing onto the shore.