Horns of Life Poem by Seymour Shubin

horns of life

horns of life

Horns of Life

It was evening and the first
of the horns could be heard
In the distance
And my brother Aaron barely sixteen
Was going out with a friend
And Aaron would be driving
And I’d be left alone
At home
My parents were going out
Too
And just as he was leaving
Aaron said
Would you like to come with
And oh boy would I
And so I sat in back
Aaron driving
Irving next him.
And first we went to a movie
And then for a fairly long drive
And we stopped somewhere for hot dogs,
And I loved the sound of horns in the distance,
As though announcing the best New Years of my life
And now of my thoughts
With Aaron long dead
And all of my friends
And I think of the horns
Echoing over Aaron’s grave
I only wish
He could hear them
Oh if he could hear them
With me.

***Photo from the caves in Lascaux in southwestern France

Southern Comfort Zone by Brad Paisley

Brad Paisley


From Brad Paisley Songs
From Brad Paisley SongsBrad Paisley

There are poets in the south
I know the rest of you think of us
like we think of you
nuts in a nutshell
but there are poets in the south
and artists
and musicians
and athieists and philosophers
and theologians
oh yes we have those
and guns
and some good and many bad ways of thinking
just like you
just like everybody everywhere
You have your Billy Bob’s
We have ours
We’re proud of ours
The kitchen table is universal

Thank you Brad Paisley for making me proud of where I live. I’d miss these crazy people who never seem to stop trying to save my soul, talking crazy about Hillary taking their damn guns, eating the meat and three, finding some crazy internet bible myth, and quoting radio talk shows.

Why I Should Poem

Why I Should Poem

Why I Should Poem

Why I Should

Because I still breathe
because I have something to say
even
if it is only me
Even if it’s only me
saying it to
me

Because the sun came up and the rivers flowed
and if feels good to say so

because it’s the end of a year
a new year and
and it felt good to say so

because I’m a crazy fool
who will spend his last penny
making something he likes
even if others throw it away

even if it rots in the back of an unknown book
even if it is forever an unknown song
even if it rots in a basement

so I will grab another handful
of colored sand
for whose works
are not
swept
away?

Why Should I Poem

Why Should I Poem

Why Should I

There are two points in every life

that is in the artist life

the point where the painting and words and music

and the person

are asking why

with a fire unlike any fire

and a point

where the artist or writer or musician

and person

is asking

why should I?

why should I?

I beat my primordial head

on this stone in this cave

why am I not hunting the elk

instead of scratching with this

blunt burnt stick

until my hands  are worn

and I beat on this stone with these hands

and this stick.

“Oh you have drawn the elk

we saw him this morning

but wasn’t his leg longer

and his horn had more points.”

what I saw

what I saw

what I saw

I do not understand

I cannot understand

Why should I?

 

david michael jackson

Maybe if you just express those moments they won’t stand in the way of the bigger why. Maybe. We’ll  see.