Must Be Something in the Water

Highland Park
Pittsburgh, PA 1970s

High schoolers are notorious
for being rebels, preoccupied
with sex and fuck yous.

Blame it on our mothers
whose middle-aged pent-up anger
took its toll on rebellious daughters

we were convinced there must be something
in the water.

We replaced boring white bras
with scarlet red lace
purchased at the expensive Shadyside shop
ready for big hoorahs

while our mother’s bitched
at us to do our chores
watched us like city hawks
as we left the nest each school day

platform shoes hidden
in Turner’s milk boxes
on our porches
with flavored cherry and cola
lip glosses stashed in pockets.

Whatever our mom’s had to cope with,
they found flaws with our friends,
clothes, our need to explore
the freedom of the great outdoors

we smoked joints in the park
by the farmhouse, munched out
on pringles and pretzels

in the basement, speakers zoned out habitual nags
with smooth tunes from Boz Scaggs,
hummed along in our faded jeans
like Elton John’s, Blue Jean Lady—
it was the 70s, a time of disco & rock, fed
our preoccupation with Peter Frampton’s
daring jam, “I want to Fuck you.”

Nina Padolf’s book of poems, Uprooted, (Kelsay Books, 2021) explores being adopted and real-life experiences. Her forthcoming picture book, Samantha, The Peanut Butter Detective, (Pegasus Publishers, U,K.), is estimated to be released late 2025. Her recent poems are in The Watershed Journal (Fall 2025) & PA Bards Western Poetry Review Anthology (May 2025). She is the curator of Greenhouse Cider & Plants Co-Op readings in Pittsburgh, and an adjunct and creative writing instructor.