Warehouse Show
I am the divide between stage
and young adult horde,
at the forefront,
tolerant
Dewy vapors of skin-on-skin
mingle with redolence of the dope,
perfume called humidity oozes
out the warehouse door
into a drafty night
Aluminum piss-water alter,
beer-seeking pests,
like ants to apple core
on a searing day,
a hundred silver cans blanket the floor
a single sot sprawled in a corner
a soppy mess
Wasted night, a waste
in sober eyes until
Dolphin City arrives,
crowd parts for the band
Healthy confusion,
muffling din,
tinkering and testing
of pre-show restarts revelry behind
Behind I leave them, farther and
farther behind,
drugged up air, gone
pressing carousal, gone
everything but
their heart thrumming sound
and what they allot to me:
Dolphin City,
You're every satisfying prick of our star's rays,
My blister-scarred feet
And sheared scalp know
You're the tumbling waves rolling down my frame
Leaving lone my wild ears and eyes
Chaperoned only by your mastery
Render sound harder,
Now play softer,
Share the scent of every song,
Taste of every key,
Touch of every chord,
Play for me, Dolphin City.
--
The band has reformed as Make Moon but they'll always be Dolphin City in my heart and this poem is for them. It only solidifies my idea that with me, appreciation is best expressed through the written word. I did the same when I met Jimmy Janzten, a young man who deeply affected me, spiritually. Although his poem may not be the best in content, it was my thank you and goodbye, and it flowed with endearment and that's what carries the greatest weight. And when the time did come to part a few weeks ago, I recited it to him months after I had given him a written copy. Here it is.
--
Stranger I Meet
We met as strangers on the bus,
You and I,
Then nameless strangers said goodbye.
Moments later I thought,
Wouldn’t it be grand to know someone as he?
Someone so gentle, someone so free?
That night the stars aligned so queer,
February’s full moon blushing sheer
As I headed somewhere normal not
To find you behind a coffeepot.
Soon, evenings trailed the days
As I unearthed this revelation:
I was not killing time, as stupidly said
But catching up with it instead.
This occurred because of you,
Your witty wisdom and embracing nature
Helped weave thoughts to reassure
A native’s mind survives
That’s anything but obscure.
And of your harmonious self,
There are bounties to be said;
Your strings of rhymes and prose and tones
Gift me dreams-by-day I can’t conjured alone.
I told you once: you’re a boundless man,
One devoted to life without a plan.
But that’s just fine for you don’t need
A scared man’s cradle to succeed.
So let me see those smiling Irish eyes
I look forward to on such times
When I’m wilted by the daily lies.
Thus, here escapes from secrecy
You’re everything inspirational to me.
You make silence safe while I ponder,
What would happen if I were to wander
‘Round the world, beyond wild blue yonder?
But for this I’m even more indebted:
You sparked my will to once again
Wake from deadened sleep a virgin pen,
To think and write and love and fight
Against visions I see revolting and trite.
And when the time comes for you to go
From my very core I hope you know
What a crevice in me you carved deep;
You’re a being my memory will forever keep.
