Tag Archives: blues

May 21, 2012 · 3:19 pm

Forget About Ohio

refocus the camera
on the old theatre
now showing holy rollers
and immigrant Pentecostals
fashionably dressed repentants
eating Thai food at noon —

they know Jesus
Jesus digs them on Wednesday
maybe through Thursday
but Friday’s open for interpretation

seen in a beacon yellow & red
Jesus Saves in profile
below a blue sky pie
inside the shadows
nobody understands
the baby ain’t been blessed

in black & white tears
beyond ten thousand graveyards
a weary song weeps
and silence hums
for the blue-eyed son
not knowing what to do

© chuck a stetson 2012

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January 15, 2012 · 10:26 am

Johnny Cash Black

Another long night
listening to my heart
beat high and low
walking the line
stumbling
acting cool
overly hip
dressed in Johnny Cash black

Sunrise raise the curtain
you know I’m hurting
paroled at your path
transmitting contradictions
with crossed fingers
and please make you love me
I promise to read the bible
confess my sins
get high on hallelujah
pacts with God
I always make

Babe,
my faded-broken thoughts
are hovering
in a foggy destiny
stained in time
black & white
soon to be ancient history
remembered in sighs

and in the end
lonesome once again
speaking sounds of pain
I remain self-proclaimed
a fool
walking the line
dressed in Johnny Cash black

© chuck a stetson 2012

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November 29, 2011 · 2:29 pm

My apologies to John Lee

boom
boom
boom
boom

I didn’t shoot you right down
knock you off your feet
take you home with me
bring you in my house
oh nothing like that

a-haw
haw
haw
haw

why you laughing at me
as I’m crying to you
up and down the floor
my baby talk
only whispers and jive

hoo
hoo
hoo
hoo

come on talk that talk
say something to me
anything at all
knock me off of my feet
oh you crazy thing

no
no
no
no

I beg you all night long
baby please don’t go
back to New Orleans …

shit
shit
shit
shit

that’s another song

© chuck a stetson 2011

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November 7, 2011 · 3:02 pm

Out There in Pacific Time

she wrote to me
feeling the island’s peace
her red bird tattoo
free to sing falsetto
a kind of ancient blues
while the Kailua sunset
flashes green

upon her return
I wonder if her red bird tattoo
will embrace me
and sing falsetto
more ancient blues
for my Connecticut sunset
lost behind the clouds

© chuck a stetson 2011

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October 17, 2011 · 1:51 pm

Standing Ovation

at the opera
a once upon a time home
to big-titty strippers
selling Amway to repentant reptiles
crawling across sawdust floors
past the oyster shells
and muzzled yellow smoke
but
it isn’t
it couldn’t be
I don’t know
do you know
last night’s premier was free
gratis for those who wore
a morning coat
collar mounted firmly to chin?
I thought so
and so it went
a flash
a sigh
a confession
a bed made only to be undone
by the fat lady singing
with no sparkle
no shine
trying to get over
many Sunday afternoon thoughts
repeated on Monday morning
Brava!

© 2011 chuck a stetson

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August 12, 2011 · 2:10 pm

Singing To Myself

your hot cold fever
cool cool sweat
in a hip way
runs up in my mind
slipping, sliding
like sideways confusion
a heady trip
listening to Buck Owens
act naturally
an alright groove
but hard for me
a fat man in the bathtub
moaning the blues
a solid rhythm
rising above
giving up
begging
brought down
over you
being over me
a sad sad production
so hard to see
your peculiar ways
running
stomping
slapping my sanity
cuckoo
time after time
can’t put off my tears
tick-tock
tick-tock
tick-tock
the time has come
tick-tock
tick-tock
but the way you
flip your hip
makes me weak
like a fat man
in the bathtub
moaning the blues

© 2011 chuck a stetson

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July 27, 2011 · 12:42 pm

Rhythm of Love

a melody’s surfing
in my head
but what key?
there are no lyrics
no fancy poetic twist
perhaps it’s bullshit
I don’t know
do you know
I’m crying
crazy tears
insecure tears
how could you
here this night
in shared bed
sweet dreams
in promises
painted
cherry red
midnight blue
melted yellow
faded
now grey
with your head
on my chest
listening to my heart
keeping time
to this melody
surfing in my head

© 2011 chuck a stetson

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July 6, 2011 · 1:24 pm

Papa Frankenstein

Papa Frankenstein’s dead
he never fooled me
he never loved me
some people call me by his name
I hear him laugh, his ghost reminds me
I am his biggest mistake.
Oh that genocidal genius
when it came to eradicating
my soul, he found pleasure.
I could never hide from
his alligator-hide belt
cigarette smoke
knives and forks — probes
St. Suzanne’s faux tears
my sisters’ screams
my brother’s peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Yes, Papa Frankenstein feasted
on my fear and fatness
he fell in love with my mother’s best friend
he tried eating my soul
strange, I idolized his madness
perfected his bullshit.
I am the son of Frankenstein
maybe it’s true
what do you say, Papa Frankenstein
am I like you?

© 2011 chuck a stetson

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July 5, 2011 · 4:04 pm

An Ocean Tune

I heard John
sing a song
a sweet melody
for his ocean child
with seashell eyes —
windy smile

his lyrics halved
into meaningless
his heart subdued
in one morning moon
bring tears dripped
on eighth notes
crossed out by Salinger

I listen again
this time through
cupped seashell
intoxicated
on ocean musk
only to see
this chick
with golden hair
glimmering, shimmering
in the floating sky

she smiles
she sings
her name
Julia

©2011 chuck a stetson

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July 3, 2011 · 12:33 pm

Art James

plug-in your head music
remember being young
on a pogo stick
a unicycle
with training wheels
under
sunshine of your
love

o’ shine on
you crazy
diamond
run in the
jungle
feel the rain
on sunny day
and let it be
misunderstood

stop your moon tears?
run in Reeboks?
come on
you painter of
words
chew
good & plenty
plant
lime lima beans
kaleidoscope kale
juicy fruit gum
harvest
magenta mangos
paisley peaches

or go to an auction
bid on
T-bone
bubble gum
sprout beans
Tahitian telecaster
pre-rolled wagon wheel
sweet sixteen candles
Hound Dog Taylor’s
Brownie McGhee loafers

no?
yes?

don’t change
your lunatic fringe
in twilight’s open season
read
The Hidden Singer
dance
boogie woogie
cha-cha-cha
outside the house of the rising sun

so turn it up, Mr. James
your big wheel
keeps on turnin’
groove
to the little bird
who sings and sings

© 2011 chuck a stetson

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