Category: Poetry

Whiskey Song

Ain’t no way to tell you what I’m thinkin’.
Ain’t no way to tell you how I feel.
Pour me one more shot for all the ones I bought.
Whiskey is the only thing that’s real.

I been ridin’ freight trains all my life.
Never stayed too long in any place.
Only friend I had, turned me to the bad.
Whiskey is my only savin’ grace.

Herded cattle all the way from Texas.
Mowed the wavin’ wheat across the plain.
Every holiday, spendin’ all my pay.
Whiskey takes the chill from out the rain.

Never been an eagle in the sky.
Never been a sailor on the sea.
Up and down this land, bottle in my hand.
Whiskey’s gonna be the death of me.

Guess I didn’t have no education.
Never even had a book to read.
Never wrote my name, get by just the same.
Whiskey is the only thing I need.

Never had a woman for to love me.
Never had a child for to cry.
Say that water’s good, drink if I could.
Whiskey’s good enough until I die.

Ain’t no way to tell you what I’m thinkin’.
Ain’t to way to tell you how I feel.
Pour me one more shot for all the ones I bought.
Whiskey is the only thing that’s real.

Songs

Songs

Somebody calls and you never really know who,
hidden in the night wind blowing over you.
Teach yourself to kiss a dream going by
and grab the earth and a little bit of sky.
  Stand or fall, it doesn’t matter much.
  The blossom is too fragile for your touch.
Now and then when you find you’re growing old,
wear the Past to keep away the Cold.
Learn the name of every passing minute
and try to live the happiness that’s in it.
  Hang on or let go, it’s all the same.
  Love be soon or late, it’s just a name.
Scream for Sun! Cry rhapsodies of phantom pain,
to recompense the Rainbow for the glory-rain.
Turn your deaf ears in for second-hand
and settle it all for the price of a wedding band.
  Love what you hope is him, what you think is her,
  for what-you-feel is more than you know-for-sure.
Somewhere in the darkness that will never dawn
you’ll look back down the road you traveled lonely on.
At every fork in the road, you made your choice,
but, babe, don’t hold your breath til you hear your voice.
  You’ll walk the road by the charm of blood and bone.
  It’s up to you if you walk the road alone. Continue reading

Wenn Man

Wenn man ein Wunder sehen wuerde,
muss man ein Wunder sein.
Aber die Seele is nicht zu gut;
der Kopf is viel zu klein.
Gehst du so froelich durch die Welt,
wirst du zum Ende kommen.
An jeder Stadt ist Tod gestellt.
So is dein Leben genommen.

Ach, vergangane Liebe

Ach, vergangene Liebe,
im Regen stehst du noch,
und ich muss ja errinnen
Leid un Lieder doch.
Heute weiss ich nichts welche
schoener am Herzen war.
Ich weiss nur dass die beide
verwunden mich sogar.
Aber eine ohne andere,
waere Heute ohne Morgen,
erhalte ich zusammen
die Freude und das Sorgen.

Brooklyn Heights in Spring

Amazed at the variety
of people every
size/shape/headstate.
What most attracts, surprises and disgusts me
is that each thinks
he has
the Secret,
knows best how
to live
Life.
The women are pursuing themselves
as time permits, as times permit,
for their lives are complicated
by the men. The women put up with them.
It uses most of their energy,
putting up with the men.

Chumley’s

It is pleasant to see
the poet/letter-writer/whateversheis
smile
as she looks up from the paper,
smile as she glances at the others
or at some private thought
or because she feels like it.
She has a nice
smile.
I’m jealous because I didn’t invoke it.
Maybe I did. Maybe
she smiled at the sight of me.
And maybe
she just smiled.
It suffices. Today
is not a total waste.
   Thank
      you.