The Flat Screen Pulpit

I was mischievously distracted by how the news channel always seems to throw in slanted information into the news. This night I had been thrown off guard by some real information and then remembered the source and was amazed at how well they mix real news with propaganda as to catch and hold the viewer. In addition to making people believe what they say is true – both propaganda and news. But these people have the gift of gab and they use it to their advantage creating truly no overall good unfortunately, but why should they care. Here is a poem about it. Cheers!

Delicately selecting to preach by mouth rather than feet

Sitting on a box on the wooden table

The flat screen pulpit drawing people in with images

To be seen

No significant or deliberate meaning to the words spoken

Crazy fool must be joking

Speaking cotton falling from the mechanic moving mouth

For the masses to walk on

Treading hard on a wiry path

Writhing through city streets and dense forests

The breathe he laments into the open air

Casting spells on the trances eyes

Watching

Eagerly

To see every move

Every word

Spreading fowl spirits

Reckless on the delicate evening mess

If only he would silence his accusations

Resume to the news and useful practical information

That can inform rather than entertain

A challenge he may not maintain

Futile to Fertile

Spring is right around the corner. On a warm spring day this came to me as I relished in the final days of winter. Those days are some of my favorite of the year. Enjoy!

Winter days fade

Into spring

Quiet mornings

Where the birds

Sing

The final snow

Begins to melt

And fade away

Winter is moving out

And

Must be on its way

For today

I admire

The winter cold

Windy gnarly

And brutal

My attempts to leave the Midwest

Always seem to be

Futile

Until the fertile lands

Of spring bloom

Once again

Bring back

Warmth and summers moon

All of this will be back

Very soon

And soon indeed

It will bring me joy

A young child

With a brand new toy

To run around under the sun

My heart swells

When it is warm

How the feelings come back to me

On this winters morn’

Fervent Thrust

Imagine being in a bar, not during the high time, but at low times. We have spent countless hours in the bars setting up, sound checking, talking, and networking. I was really inspired by the floor of these places as they all seem to look exactly the same. In addition to that it has a very similar scent. To me it is a very bittersweet feeling but it always reminds me of a show that is about to start as it is the first thing we are greeted  with when we walk through the doors for the night. I try to give you a sense of this feeling in the poem here called “Fervent Thrust”.

 

Bar floors tell much more

That what I could ask for

In the corners where the light shines dim

Away from sweepers on the outer rim

Tells a story of many a nights

Careless dancers and crazy bar fights

The smell of beer and must

Bellows from the vents

Greeting me at the door

With a fervent thrust

Beer caps lay with hair and mold

All the shit here is more that a day old

But this is the smell of music in action

I have found this true

Regardless of the disgusting reaction

This is where American music thrives

And discovers its sound

The walls have been broken in

It is a sacred ground

The bartender wipes the deck

Getting ready for another crazy night

Turns the lights on low

And sweeps the dust below

Sound checks ring with the

Check 1,2 in the background

The band gears up for the party going down

But in the corner of the bar

Is where you can find the filth of yesterday

The colors grown of black and gray

The sounds ring out and knock the dust from the table

Music rings out regardless of the label

Of genres and names things oh so irrelevant

Just a business note people need

And business people sent

But play it out loud

Ring it out clear

Bring the corners and floors alive

The dancing blokes

With clashing beers

Rest

This was written after a couple of weeks on the road. This trip included all of the major music hubs in the U.S. (in my humble opinion of course and for our particular genre). We had stops in New York, Chicago, L.A. and Nashville. We finally got to the end of our journey to a log cabin up in the woods on Traverse City, MI and I slept for basically 48 hours. At the end of the sleep I was able to get up and write some words that needed to be written down. They came to me in a early morning haze. So here it is a poem on rest – enjoy!

Rest

There is one thing that unifies

This no one can contest

That when we fall asleep

The mind now at rest

The heart

Beats

And beats

And beats

To no similar tune

But in similar fashion

The mind at rest

I can attest

This is the best

Way to connect to each other

There are no preconditions

No medication

Or temptation

For one to connect

To others

Through this sensation

Of mind cessation

Temporary of course

But this might lead a course of action

To rest away the weary eyes

To come to negotiation anew

Many a times it has worked for me

And surely will do the same for you

Lights out in gentle style

Let the mind take the lonely mile

And hearts beat sustain throughout the night

And in the morning

Everything will be alright

City Veins

This was written late night on the Blue Line on our way to O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. It was written as an observational piece and I tried to keep it simple. I try to relate the veins to the heart in the final line. Enjoy!

The veins of the city

Run deep underground

Running people back

Forth

All around

A majestic lady reads

While a hearty man laughs

Yet another gentle man

Set with a deep stair

With a jolly women next

To him

That is just content

With her chair

Run me left

Run me right

With the dirt caked

On the trains side

The rattle

Abrupt

The air

Dense and course

For we are on our way to LA

And that is for certain

“We thank you

For riding

And please come again”

When the weather is better

“But please be on your way”

You jolly jet setter

Catch a flight at O’Hare

I must not be late

Everything is set in LA

We have set a nice date

Reflecting on the steel

With polished silver hue

From hands a many

At one moment it may be holding 20

Or 30

Or 40

I cannot really say

The polish runs clean

For it gets buffed everyday

The silences is now sweet

Yet I could have some chatter

Could use a conversation

On the economy and

What is the matter?

But for now I sit

Peacefully upon the worn out seat

I am just thankful to be

A part of the cities

Heartbeat

Net Worth

What is your net worth

Go you! Proclaim it throughout the earth

Ring it on high

Ring it on low

Bring a receipt

Wherever you go

Remind your friends with cash in hand

Even pay for them to see your favorite band

“I wonder how much they are worth”

Surely not as much as me

I am sure my banker would agree

Ring the registers from on high

It’s like pie falling from the sky

I will stand with my hands ready

To grab what is mine

Might just take one of yours

But hey who is keeping score

Now get my car and call me lady

You know this part of town can get quite shady

Maybe I should not be quite so loud

I mean I do not want to attract a crowd

Who knows what that will mean

It was my pie I found,

I thought I caught it

But please don’t bring those fellows

Who want to conduct the audit

If leverage is leverage

And bottom line true

The bell rings cold

When the receipt reads past due

Extend me some credit

Just a little more

I just want to settle the score

But the banker looked confused

This analogy he used

“The way I see it

To make this all easy for me and you

Upon every mans head it should be written

Two decades and a half after their birth

So he may proclaim it throughout the earth

But for now I must ask you again

What is your net worth?”

High Heel Sound

When the rains falling down

Just north of downtown

Come and find me

In Chicago town

With the blur of lights

And bursts of sounds

Ill be around

In Chicago town

Blue, Pink, Red, and Yellow

Where the trains circle round

Just come find me

In Chicago town

When the city of the bend is empty

I’m South Shore bound

Headed over

To Chicago town

Where men walk tall

To a high heel sound

Look all around

In Chicago town