far and few between

"What' It's Like to Be With Me"

2010-03-07T13:31:00.004-05:00

I sat down to write some lyrics
. Words to make you feel again
Words that wrap my arms around you
. As the ink flows from my pen.

I could finish by December
. And hang them on your tree
Wake and sing them to remember
. What it's like to be with me.
March 6, 2010

"Between Is Far and Few"

2010-03-03T21:35:00.005-05:00

I try to imagine
. Walking out with you
. . Just stepping out
. . . Into the crowds
To put ourselves on view.

The people turn
. They take us in
. . They catch their breath at you.

They glare at me
. As if to say
. . Who is this man?
. . . He has a chance?
Between is far and few.
March 3, 2010

"Never Too Soon"

2010-03-03T21:32:00.004-05:00

It's never too soon
. To learn from the old
. . For we're all old too soon.
March 3, 2010

"Just Lookin'"

2010-03-02T21:54:00.004-05:00

I know that you know I been lookin'
Been lookin' at you for a while
Maybe you think I been hopin'
Been hopin' you'd look back and smile.

But I'm lookin' at you and I'm guessin'
How many have looked with a sigh
How many have gazed on the blessin'
A gift to us all from on High.

For me I'm not ropin' or fishin'
Not hopin' that you'll turn my way
I'm thankin' the Lord for Creation
And wishin' that He'll let you stay.
March 1, 2010

"Our Community Place"

2010-03-02T21:20:00.011-05:00

First word is 'Our', first word of all
. And that's the word that heeds the call
To aid our fellow human being
. With all his ills, all he's fleeing.

Next we have 'Community'
. To forge a group within a city
A shield to scorn, a bane to pity
. It gives us all immunity.

Not least of all, but it's the last
. A board for you to break your fast
A space where you forget your past
. A 'Place' for all, and may it last.
February 25, 2010

"Share Our Bread"

2010-02-25T14:37:00.000-05:00

And so the World is in your face
. A loss of roof is your disgrace
They tossed you out for acting up
. Streets are cold, no place to sup
You'd make things up, if just you could
. You'd fix it all, we know you would
Meantime you stumble, you can't keep pace
. You find it hard to save your face
Come share our bread and quit the race.
February 25, 2010

"My Thoughts to Clear"

2010-01-01T20:45:00.000-05:00

I have had my Muse
. Like Michelangelo
I felt the pull of Love
. Not in terra, but al cielo.

His a Cavilieri
. Mine a Cavalier
He to sculpt the marble
. I my thoughts to clear.
January 1, 2010

"Hope Is a Bitch"

2010-01-01T20:42:00.000-05:00

Hope is a bitch
. I wish I could meet her
Hangin' out down by the watering hole
. She'd be with her friends
You know the ones . .
. Faith, Grace, Chastity, and Chance.

I'd say a few words
. I'd put it right to her:
"Why do you do what you do?
. Why spring eternal?
. . Why offer yourself
Then take it away with a grin?"
January 1, 2010

"In the Beginning"

2010-01-01T20:16:00.000-05:00

In the Beginning . .
. God made Sun
. . And God made Sea
And God made you, and He made me.

In the Beginning . .
. The Sun did shine
. . The Sea did roar
It tossed us both upon the shore.

In the Beginning . .
. When I saw you
. . And you saw we
Then Life began, beneath a tree.

In the Beginning . .
. When waters rose
. . And lapped the sand
I told the World how Life began.
January 1, 2010

"Save One"

2010-01-01T20:06:00.001-05:00

First convo, save one
. A chat amongst the first
. . I said you had ten years
. . . To satisfy your thirst.

. . . Now a decade more
. . The drinking hums along
. It helps you with your life
It helps you with your song.

But you recall that night
. The night when'ere we spoke
. . As now a New Year dawns
. . . Will you apply the yoke?
January 1, 2010

More Limericks

2009-12-14T14:43:00.000-05:00

There once was a cabbie named Sig
He thought he should find a new gig
He'd get a job
As head of the mob
If he could just cover the vig.
December 14, 2009

There once was a D.J. named Joe
To tune-lover he proved quite a foe
"All music is mine!"
He said with a whine
"The Community? That's just for show!"
November 23, 2009

There once was a pastor named Ron
He read the Good Book like the Don
He could be the Godfather
And cut all the bother
If he'd quit running hither and yon.
November 6, 2009

There once was a cardinal named Farrell
His faith in the Church was in peril
He cast off his robes
And trimmed his earlobes
Now he's found a new faith name of Rachel.
October 21, 2009

There once was a redhead named Em
She turned on her own countrymen
She met a Canuck
With a big hockey puck
Now they bankrupt the U.S. health system.

Limericks

2009-11-23T20:07:00.001-05:00

There once was an intern named Gracie
Who said that she worked at Our Placie
But we checked her "work"
And discovered a quirk:
The evidence was all prima facie.
November 23, 2009

There once was a biker named Lars
He'd live his whole life without cars
He biked to Peru
To prove it was true
But flew home in a jet through the stars.
November 4, 2009

There once was an artist named Abbey
Her mood switched from cheery to crabby
Unless she could sew
A ribbon or bow
On your costume if she deemed it shabby.
November 4, 2009

There once was a girl named Rebekah
She set off in search of Mecca
But found OCP
Where the suppers are free
Now she skips all her nursing school lectures.
September 21, 2009

There once was a mascot named "Smokey"
Whose owner was old, slow and pokey
So he'd run around
The OCP ground
Till the Irishman said "Okey Dokey!"

There once was a painter named Teig
Who kept all his tools in a bag
If you needed a tune
He'd yank his harpoon
And beat out "The OCP Rag".

"Lies and Poetry"

2009-11-08T21:08:00.000-05:00

I have known a Gösta Berling
. I have been a Lagerlöf
But mine was here and younger
. Not Swedish, but a Scot.

His glen stood groves of ladies
. He felled them like a sword
A god rose up from Hades
. They viewed him as their Lord.

He did his share of drinking
. He ran with friends like that
He wrote more poems than poets live
. He shared them with his frat.

He stood so tall in glade
. But saw it not for trees
He glinted like a blade
. He scared the birds and bees.

Was it poetry and lies
. Just lies and poetry?
Am I now what I despise
. A vessel for deceit?
November 8, 2009

"When Your Evil Spirit Lifts"

2009-10-27T20:48:00.001-04:00

When your evil spirit lifts
. And leaves your corpse alone
Only then your spate of gifts
. Can sparkle like a stone.
October 27, 2009

"At His Behest"

2009-10-21T20:41:00.000-04:00

Must best be worst
. And worst be best
And must it be
. At His behest?
October 21, 2009

"Ego Candy"

2009-10-15T20:39:00.000-04:00

Gorge upon your ego candy
. Keep a Bible good and handy
Cut the words and music randy
. As you watch your son play dandy.
October 15, 2009

"As Only Lovers Know"

2009-10-12T20:19:00.001-04:00

Somewhere lies a sunny field
. Where hopes and dreams still grow
And in this field is Love revealed
. As only lovers know.

In this field I wait for you
. I wait by muddy stream
And if indeed you should be true
. We'll grow our hopes and dreams.
October 12, 20009

"Sir Rockingham"

2009-09-24T20:38:00.000-04:00

Should I bless that day

. Or curse it with a "Damn!"
The day I came this way
. And met Sir Rockingham?
September 24, 2009

"Lay Hearts on the Line"

2009-09-24T20:25:00.001-04:00

Skip all of the joking
. Erase all of the shame
Cut the bull, and save the gaffe
. Quit the play of game.

Cut straight to the loving
. Lay hearts on the line
The blood you hear a'pumping
. Is neither yours nor mine.
September 4, 2009

"Two He Could Not Woo"

2009-09-04T20:33:00.000-04:00

Two he could not woo
Two he could not charm
What was he to do
To instigate the harm?

Two he could not turn
Two he could not quake
How to steal the burn
The World Order to shake?

Two he could not know
Two he could not rule
No way to feel the glow
To them he plays the Fool.
September 4, 2009

2009-08-18T18:40:00.002-04:00

"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything."
PLATO

Lyrics

2009-08-17T07:57:00.007-04:00

Heading into the final stretch of addressing the various lyrics-related issues at my site, I've made a few changes. Just determining which files should be considered lyrics at all has gone through further refinement.

At least one piece that used to switch back-and-forth between poetry and lyrics, because I could never make up my mind, had ended up in both--but now I've relegated it to poetry alone. That would be 'If You See My Mind'.

A few others, including 'I Got It All Wrong', 'You Need a Friend', 'Ain't It Peculiar', 'Walk-Off Home Run'--all moved from the 'starter' section to my Collection poetry section (which is only now being set up, poems to be moved from where they are now).

'Latin Love Song' came directly out of lyrics and went into Collection.

'In Charlottesville' and 'Portal to Hell' were moved to Sentence poems and the Mars collection respectively. What's interesting about both of these is that I actually 'pitched' each as a (potential) song to singer-songwriters I think highly of in Charlottesville, only now to determine myself that that's a real stretch.

Several were trashed, essentially, taken from the 'starter' section and put into an 'extra' folder for further enlightened viewing at some later date.

One came from this blog, 'She's Singing Patsy Cline Again', and went straight to lyrics.

The fate of a couple more is yet to be determined, but they seem destined to end up in the big show, too. The total number of lyrics now approaches sixty.

As to quality, so many of these 'lyrics' should still be considered just idea starters--but as a result of my being willing to write them and post them (imperfectly) some good songs might yet arise.

I should say, too, that part of what prompted me to start in on this much-belated project was an e-mail from Athens, Greece regarding my 'starter' lyric 'I Got No Use for You'. The e-mailer said she 'guessed she heard it somewhere' and asked if I knew the author. Within a couple of days I had moved it in with the main set of lyrics, wondering all the while where she thinks she'd heard MY song.

Submitting

2009-08-02T12:27:00.002-04:00

I discovered a new aide when submitting poetry, duotrope's digest, which came to me as a double-submitted to Rattle (please don't tell them, as they don't seem to have noticed). It's unleashed (for now) a torrent of poetic submissions on my part. Happy Day!! Anna Evans' very helpful essay on the sonnet also came into view. I recommend them both heartily.

I did sort of let loose on one rather control freaky editor. Doing so in my cover letter might be considered somewhat self-destructive, like when I sent a screenplay to Sundance with a note about how Robert Redford's hair hadn't changed position since '63. But it was heartfelt, my comments, and I can't really know if it works best for her to tell everyone so explicitly how to be a proper poet.

'When Your Father Is the Devil'

2009-06-16T18:56:00.001-04:00

When your Father is the Devil
. . And you turn to Demon Rum
When Hell flames rise up round you
. . To my place you can come.

We'll drink to future Heaven
. . We'll drink to future fun
We'll drink to all the women
. . Who one day sure will come.
June 13, 2009

'The Rack Twists With a Screw'

2009-06-01T18:21:00.000-04:00

Nightmare and Horror Show
. Agreed to wed
To torture someone new
. At altar, though
The preacher said:
'The rack twists with a screw.'
May 30, 2009