Jersey Shore Magazine

j e r s e y s h o r e • F A L L / H O L I D A Y 2 0 2 1 79 HOME PORT from the cold. Snowflakes glistened on his dark coat. Gently bumping aside a few patrons, I stood in front of him and hugged him. "Uncle Tom!" I laughed out loud. "You're Mary's boy, Frank," he drawled. "You look a lot like her." My mom had passed away in the same December he and Aunt Dolores had got engaged; he remembered me. Jim hadn't started his set yet. He had put a small table in a corner so we could get reacquainted. Talking one on one, the years fell away. "I remember the first time I met you, before you married Aunt Dolores; you got down on the floor and played soldiers with me." He smiled wistfully, "That was so long ago. What are you doing these days?" We conversed until Jim introduced his dad from the mic on stage. After a few words, he broke into playing Neil Young's "Old Man." Old Man take a look at my life I'm a lot like you I need someone to love me The whole day through The crowd cheered! Toward the end of the set, between songs, I discovered that he and my Aunt Dolores had divorced, and she had remarried. Tom never did. Before he left, he snapped a Polaroid picture of me sitting at the wooden round table notched with initials of past patrons. The carafe of red wine sitting on the table winked in the neon lights. I have no pictures of my Uncle Tom except one that his daughter put together on a DVD for Aunt Dolores' eightieth birthday. I fancied myself a young, unknown poet back then. Always carried a few unfinished poems in my back pocket ready to read to anyone who would listen. Jim had his appreciative audience, which was immediate. I still had not found mine. But I loved that he took me into his circle of friends, introduc- ing me to the Jersey Shore music scene. The songs he played are poems set to music, which soothed and inspired me to continue writing. u Frank Finale is the author of the coffee table books "To The Shore Once More, Volumes I - III" and children's books "A Gull's Story, Parts 1 - 3." He is also coeditor of the anthologies "Under A Gull's Wing" and "The Poets of New Jersey." Please refer to pages 7 - 9 as well as www.jerseyshorebooks.com for more infor- mation about his books and appearances. SNOW WONDER, continued from page 82 Author Frank Finale at A's Inn in Deal, 1974. Musician Jim Faulkner, 1974. Subscribe and Bring the Jersey Shore into Your Home All Year-Round! Our fi ve publications cover Ocean and Monmouth Counties— everything from Sandy Hook to Long Beach Island! THREE WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE: Call Toll-Free: 888-22-SHORE (888-227-4673) Order Online: www.jerseyshoremagazine.com By Mail: Send your check or credit card info to: Jersey Shore Publications P.O. Box 176, Bay Head, NJ 08742-0176 Only $19.95 Your "Jersey Shore" subscription will include: JERSEY SHORE Magazine (spring and fall/holiday issues); JERSEY SHORE Vacation Magazine (summer issue); JERSEY SHORE Vacation Map (summer issue); LONG BEACH ISLAND Vacation Guidebook & Map (summer issue). T hey are full of beautiful, full-color artwork and photography as well articles and guides to the Jersey Shore featuring Places To Go & Things To Do, Events Calendars, Attractions & Activities, Theatre & Entertainment, Historic Sites & Museums, Beaches, Parks & Recreation Areas, Public Golf Courses, Accommodations, Shopping, Art & Antiques, Dining Out, Real Estate, and much more! $19.95

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