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Walkin through
the older part of town
where houses linger gracefully
as a memory to generations before
Trees stately and wise
dropping an arm full of coloured leaves
in time to catch a breeze
floating down in filtered sunlight
a kaleidoscope
Tucked inside
lives tick on
a different special story
for each and every one
windows lit and windows dark
the leaves still fall
The cobblestone walks are my favorite
a little too much dreamin
will make you trip
a little too much concern
will make you miss the life around you
The air is brisk
memories intense
hurrying along with no special purpose
not makin money
singin a song
I'm proud to be livin in the ole U. S. of A.
don't get it wrong
but sometimes don't you feel like
stickin your head down the toilet
and flushin
I mean good God
just when you think your paycheck
could fit the back pocket of an unemployed chigger
some
red-taped
overpaid
zucchini brain
a thousand miles away
decides to spend millions on a study that warns people
of the dangers of putting dynamite sticks and cedar logs
in a woodburning stove
at the same time
And you might as well go ahead and do it
if they keep gatherin up all those fancy-pants dooms day weapons
sometimes I wish they would
push all those pretty red buttons at once
just to see the look on some
smug-faced
senior assistant to an advisor
on Inferior Affairs
when he realizes that his cocktail party
might be taking place on Venus
Damn! you can tell what kind of a day it's been
Any hoot if it ain't
those suit-and-tie Washington boys
it's some New York advertising agency
or the glitter guys of Hollywood
by the time I get through listening to those folks
I feel that I should be in my Learjet
headin to a happenin spot outside L.A.
dressed in double-knits
with a gold chain around my neck
holdin a hamburger in one hand
and a beer can in the other
while tryin to play
one of those blasted video games with my feet
and listening to the latest Space Rock album
on a 5,000 watt
audio-visual
self-adjustin
big-screened
part-time-vacuum-cleaner
stereo outfit
and the whole time I'm wonderin
if I should have pinto or navy beans for supper
It's enough to make a grown man
crave castor oil
You're bound to be busy
makin deals
wheelin around
working late on photographs
then breaking for a cup of coffee
or to try on a hat
just for the fun of it
I know you're worried lately
water's boilin on the stove
and you're seaching for dreams again
on and on you go
occasionally finding a mirror
to tuck a flower in your hair
and sometimes there's a tear
for a sudden memory
Now you might be sittin there
in the privacy of your own little world
just wonderin what keeps that ole bearded fella
rockin from day to day
more than likely you're not
but I've come this far
so just play along with me
Well now
lots of days I wake up
feelin meaner than a bobcat in a barrel full of bulldogs
it's easy then
I just jump right in on the first person
to walk through the door
and if they can't be irritated
it's on to the next person
and the next person
till before you know it
the day has disappeared
Other times
when my furnace ain't burnin that hot
I rely on being as crazy
as a nest full of nuclear cuckoo birds
dancin a little jig
walkin backwards in the rain
talkin about dreams
and abstract schemes
years can go by before you know it
My main leanin post however
is the kinship with the people I know
like lava those friendships flow
they glow
from day to day they grow
well, well
we're gettin pretty poetic here ain't we
Any hoot that's mainly how I get by
but don't get me wrong
I have those weak moments
like recently I was drivin home
moving along without a particular care
when ... Bam!
I was alone
a deep sadness chilled me to the bone
a little boy that lingers in my soul
had tears in his eyes
but no one was there
the road just went on
I had no more home
You know I see that same deep sadness in other eyes sometimes
yea some folks cut up
and drink up
just to cover up
they play their little romance games
and some even burn themselves out like a uncontrolled flame
so they won't have to deal with it
but it's there cause I've felt it
and I didn't like it
but in this particular case
I pulled out of the nose dive
with the help of two friends of mine
and I hope never to feel that way again
Any hoot
a couple of days later things are better
I sat on the porch this afternoon
watchin the Sun set
drinkin coffee
sort of driftin
the buttercups are budding
already some have put on their yellow crowns
a magical contrast to dried oak leaves on the ground
and believe it or not
like an Omen
across the yard in a nearby field
in a small leafless tree
seven fiery red cardinals sat
I swear!
and it made me aware of Winter's lifting veil
I feel damn good now!
The hotline says there's a party on 231 South
10 miles out
It's a rainy Saturday night
and there ain't no excuse for sittin round
when you know the music will be hot
alot of shakin goin down
Been sittin home all week long
let's step out and see some faces
look at the new romances
put on your dancin shoes
you're looking good
we'll burn the house down tonight
whirlin and twistin
Everybody's here
laughin and maybe drinkin a little too much
everybody's changin
but tonight they're feelin good
all those tragic problems were left outside the door
I think I see someone
I don't see much anymore
it's good to know they're doin well
I didn't know you could dance like that
your feet are smokin
and you make me laugh
there's nothin wrong with that
Everybody's singin
and some have a special song
everybody's movin
don't see much frownin
just some clownin
Fast the beat goes
burning hot
until the final couple folds
Well don't just sit there starin
I'm not God's gift to the civilized world
but I do my best
so let's talk about me and you
and the rest of the crew
on this crackerbox planet
As for myself
I have a beat up pickup truck
two cats
a dog
and alot of memories and dreams
There ain't much money here
but I ain't complainin
all of those little extras make life interestin
seem to appear at just the right moment
any hoot
you probably ain't got that much either
Lately I've been evaluatin
anticipatin
analyzin
and contemplatin
it beats watchin T.V.
or mouthin about some article in Newsweek
you know I'm beginnin to discover
that there are a million jokers out there
who are just about like me
down to the last little mediocre brain wave
and a million more who are glad they aren't
I guess we're all just absorbent particles
in that great little box of life
but I don't give a damn right now
I'm a ball of fire
and the Queen's own mother
could hardly make me blink an eye
So any hoot
what do you think about destiny?
time moves quickly
and everything so important at the moment fades away
it's hard to know
you've got your lovers
your children
your pride
but no place to hide
we're partners in space and time
to every fool and genius
and I'd rather not say which one I am
Don't open your big mouth either!
Oh well
the mazin gamut of human emotions keeps me busy
rocking and cussin
scratchin my head and laughin
(it would be nice to see you now)
Don't just shake your head
what's important to you?
passion
material possessions
love
the future of the world
don't take too long
some son-of-a-gun is tryin to steal your soul
and talk about soul control
sometimes I'm the captain of my ship
and sometimes I'm the crew below
feedin the engines to full speed ahead
it doesn't matter where I'm goin
I can't see outside anyway
it's just a job
another ole song to sing along with
Another Winter night to deal with !
My ambition is to be an ornery ole man
prankster and gangster
craziest ole man around
already got a rockin chair
and a walkin cane
by then I'll have enough jive saved up
to drive anyone insane
little bald head
a long white beard
tellin the wildest stories you ever heared
tryin to make the young gals turn red
a dirty ole fella
with rocks in his head
Children will be my allies
with their big saucer eyes
grown-ups will be the enemy
we'll show them no mercy
my buddies and me
we'll put that rockin chair in gear
and let the stories fly
I'll try my damndest to make it hard to tell
what's the truth
and what's a lie
yes when I was young times was hard
we saved Pork'n Bean labels
to patch the cracks in the wall
and I remember the time
I was attacked by a herd of Neeber Geezers
the ugliest creatures of all
There will be pain I am sure
marigolds faded by the Sun
But what the hell !
we'll join round the table with our cheeses and wine
to celebrate our loved ones being home
we'll take long walks
the wife and I
talking is easier rustling though leaves
or happening on a cool summer breeze
There will be magic when we all get together
and laughter by the bucketfuls
a slap on the back
a wink of the eye
welcome our friends
won't you sit for awhile
Thoughts will scatter a thousand directions
from an ole man's rockin chair
Memories and Dreams
winding around a soul
When you look into my eyes
a stained glass heart shatters
the cold wind whips across a wilderness stream
the years gently whisper their secret to me
A woman like you is a restless dream
that wakes me suddenly in the night
but no one is there
I don't expect miracles
we all have faults
and I know how love blinds
I wasn't born yesterday you know !
We all have some vision of a fairy tale love
like a spell cast by witches
on a distant mountaintop
My vision is a pair of warm eyes
a woman who knows how to laugh and cry
who has a spirit of fire
a certain girl from that restless dream
an Indian Princess on Halloween
I don't expect perfection
just look at me
how much perfection do you see ?
A woman like you has scars from old lovers
talkin chances is gettin harder
why should you believe a beggar like me ?
My only riches are hidden in a soul
that rarely show
that only you can know
I'm one of those fellas who is continuously
amazed
a bit wild-eyed and crazed
at the mysterious and unexplained
some folks like that will say that one's body is a shell
with a spirit inside
and if spirits do exist
then the possibilities are infinite
as to the experiences one might encounter
I don't try to explain
but search for forces that stir that spirit in me
everyone searches differently
for me those forces are found on a mountaintop
peering towards the distant horizon
in the ocean tides
crashing with a numbing sound onto an empty beach
crushing time's bounderies
Thunderstorms and moonbeams
sunsets and coloured leaves
all touch that spirit in me
a late night conversation with friends
might do the job too
or helping a child learn what to do
Building strong memories
and reaching towards dreams
the warmth of a family
love against all odds
minds that peirce the darkness
like a beacon on a rocky shore
All of these
bring this ole stump jumper
to his knees
Let's not go to town tonight
there's nothin there we haven't seen before
this afternoon while we were workin in the yard
you planting zinnias
me sharpening a hoe
I glanced over your way
bent over and barefoot
blue jeans and T-Shirt
a long braid in your hair
made me forget what I was doing
and I damn near cut myself
a natural young woman digging in the Sun
not aware of anyone
my heart stopped for an instant it seemed
then I blew you a kiss
but you didn't see
As as the sun was setting we sat in the swing
sippin tea
discussing a friend
laughing at a movie we'd seen
a twinkle in your eyes made me smile
such a subtle reminder of how we ever
ended up together
Let's clean up now
wear your cotton dress and put a ribbon in your hair
I've saved an ole bottle of wine
we'll dance for awhile
barefoot and wild
then landing outside we'll gaze at the moon
walk hand in hand down the path to a pool
laughin like kids when a bullfrog jumps in
splashing each other in a game we made up
just to see who would win
I'll give you a head start
then chase you towards home
when I catch up I'll take you in my arms
spinnin round till we're dizzy
and fall to the grass
out of breath
Hold your arms around me tightly then
kiss me
and silently we'll reach the house
turn out the lights
let our love's flame
burn through the night
Well I started this whole blasted mess on a
cold winter night
in a rockin chair
and tonight just happens to be a similar night
except there's a slow rain for special effect
to my dramatic ending
Don't worry
I ain't gonna take off on some abstract goose chase
and there ain't no violins
no weeping
or gnashing of teeth
it's more like sittin on the front porch
with an ole buddy and his maniac hair
a flannel shirt
a pair of tattered jeans
and a couple of super-duper tenna shoes
I ain't got no special lifesaving messages
for any of you monkeys
each soul has its own special course
this thing got started at a point in time
when I happened to be at a personal crossroads
I was sorta alone
but it was by choice I guess
those are the times
when lots of folks decide to be poets or philosophers
or maybe they leave town for some exotic shore
I don't know !
Well any hoot
I've felt like a kid hidden in a tree
watchin the other children play
I've noticed that every one of us is changing
and it dawned on me that over the next several years
time will scatter us like dandelion seeds
and before anyone gets blown away
this ole buzzard would like to say
that you are all special to me
that feelin can't be destroyed
Take that thought and shove it Mr. Grim Reaper !
Oh well
I'm out here in my little magical kingdom
chasing hawk shadows as they glide across the fields
watching sunrises
even havin a little nip every now and again
if you get the inclination
you know my door is always open
we can brew some coffee and discuss our views of all of this
if that don't work
we'll cut up and get crazy as a
cross-eyed hyena on a submarine
Love
T. Bone
©1983, 2003, 2010 Mark "T.Bone"
Cole
www.markcole.us
All Rights Reserved - Copying Prohibited
Write Me!
This site was updated Friday, March 5th, 2010
and is maintained by
Alan Cole Freeman
