Carson’s Blues
A wounded, sparrow Timid and shy A fallen deer, that’s what they call me But I’m an iron butterfly A childish liar A devilish bitch I can be innocent and charming And suddenly switch But you’ve got to understand, Understand, understand That I’ve never belonged I can be sweet I can be wise I’ve got everyone of you mirrored In my deep, sad eyes I know where you’ve been to And who you’re afraid to be Cause nothing that is human Is alien to me I talk to strangers, strangers, strangers One at a time A wounded sparrow Timid and shy A fallen deer, that’s what they call me But I’m an iron butterfly I know where you’ve been to And who you’re afraid to be Cause nothing that is human Is alien to me I talk to strangers, strangers, strangers One at a time
New York Is My Destination
New York is my destination. New York is where I will be from. New York is made for grander things. Just. Like. Me. I will lunch at the Algonquin. Swing by the Plaza, waltz on in. The Three Arts Club, I’ll live there, Indefinitely. New York is made for grander things Just. Like. Me. Literati, Yes, they will love me. Paparazzi, Well, could it be? Glitterati, Will they know of me? New York’s waiting for me. All of the tales of seduction. Glittering on the horizon. Mountains of fame. And fortune. And snow Finally. New York is made for grander things Just. Like. Me. Literati, Yes, they will love me. Paparazzi, Well, could it be? Glitterati, Will they know of me? New York’s waiting for me. Practice at the Parnassus Cram for Columbia classes Ride the 5th Avenue busses Weave some tale about us… I lost all my money for Juilliard. I hid in the phone booth at Масу’s. I slept in a brothel, on the way to Destiny. New York is made for grander things Just. Like. Me. Literati, Yes, they will love me. Paparazzi, Well, could it be? Glitterati, Will they know of me? New York’s waiting for me. New York is made for grander things. Just. Like. Me.
Instant Of The Hour After
That’s enough. Out of you. Tonight. My darling. This show is over for now. The monkey is dead. I detest all this drunken brawling. Now let’s see if you can make it into this bed. How I love you. How I loathe you. It’s a sharp, quick love. I feel. My darling. You’re not as drunk as you seem. So why pretend. On your cheek, that sweet shadow falling. The pulse in your neck, how I’ll know it, right to the end. How I love you. How I loathe you. All you can say is: "Reverberating vacuity." "Lousy simile." "Vacant majesty." In the instant of the hour after. But right now. It’s you and me. My darling. Trapped here inside of this bottle, drowning like flies. When the frenzy’s over. We’re crawling. Specimens. Spent and exhausted, We press to the sides. How I love you. How I loathe you.
We Of Me
My squeezed heart divides Into two wide wings The world is A sudden place If you don’t Belong to anything Noah may have got it wrong There’s one more That could belong This must be the Irony of Fate That I and the world Are always separate All other people Have a we to claim Except for me And my own name I belong to be With the two of you And we make three As a family That is why You’re the we of me We of me I belong to be With the two of you And we make three As a family That is why You’re the we of me We of me Noah’s ark admitted, only two by two We know this isn’t always true Noah may have got it wrong There’s one more that could belong I belong to be With the two of you We make three As a family That is why You are the we of me The we of me That is why You are the we of me The we of me That is why You are the we of me The we of me
Annemarie
I saw your face I’d knew you’d haunt me For all… of my life. Rising above me. If you could want me, I’d be No man’s wife. Everyone sees you Everyone knows you How can I possibly compare? Who could attain you, with All of your pain, who could Possibly hold one so fair? Terror, pity, love. Annemarie. Brilliant and stormy Her perfect beauty She moves through the world. With Money and family She glitters with trouble she’s that Kind of girl Everyone wants you Everyone loves you How can I possibly compete? Who can explain you With all of your pain, who Could possibly make you complet Terror pity love. Annemarie. If I could see God His face would be sacred Like yours… Annemarie But God’s face is hidden and Your face is suddenly All I can see Everyone worships you Everyone needs you How can I possibly complain? Who will contain you, With all of your pain, could I Gather up all that you remain? Terror pity love. Annemarie.
Twelve Mortal Men
Where I’m from There’s poverty All kinds of inequality Nobody comes here Nobody leaves Don’t have to go far Even to see The Whipping Report In the library. Hear one voice Start singing In the dirt Twelve picks are ringing Nobody comes here Nobody leaves Don’t have to go far Even to see 12 mortal men bound In a song of liberty. Don’t have to go far The music I hear, Is 12 mortal men singing In ecstasy and fear. In my heart I see a crowd A thousand, souls marching and proud Everyone gathered Each one is loved.
Harper Lee
Virginia Woolf She leaves me cold I recognize the genius But I’m twice as bold I have more to say Than Hemingway Lord knows, compared to Faulker I say it in a better way Graham Greene He loves me He loves my poetic Sensibility Katherine Anne Porter Might be the best one now But in about a year I’m gonna show her how Yes I will Said to Reeves the other day Proust really is the man Who comforts me in a way No other writer can The timeless quality of the work The length! Is very long Believe me Marcel Proust goes on And on and on and on. 7 volumes Oh, Harper. Harper Lee. Lee. Lee She only wrote that one book I’ve written more than three Darling Tennessee Williams It’s anybody’s guess Why "Streetcar" made millions And "Wedding" so much less I will forever be pondering that one Oh, Harper. Harper Lee. Lee. Lee Why do they always compare her to me To me Won’t even talk about Eudora Welty As for F. Scott, my Sad Cafe Is greater than his Gatsby I’m just telling you What someone told me they read I never look at my reviews They might give me the big head Now Truman Capote was hypnotized Mesmerized. Cause he realized That I knew that he knew That he had plagiarized My cadences! Imagine his surprise, You’ll see it in his eyes When I win that Nobel Prize Thank you. Thank you so very much Harper. Harper Lee. Lee. Lee Why do they always compare her to me To me She always seems to be receiving More than she deserves Honey, she’s poaching on My literary preserves Yes from Harper Lee We have seen and we’ve heard and I’d like to kill more than just That mocking bird You know, sometimes I really would So you just wait until next year
Lover, Beloved
Lover Beloved Behold each of these The lover pursues. The beloved one fLees. Lover Beloved From countries apart Each one alone In the land of the heart Each one alone in the land of the heart Lover Beloved Forever stripped bare. Turn in the night And it’s he who is there Liar and lover And hero, and thief Turn in the night And he brings no relief Brother, or husband He brings no relief The man across the Styx, will send Flowers from beyond the end The man across the Styx will be Her lover for eternity Lover Beloved Her brave cavalier All of his love Raising hatred and fear Lover Beloved Each craving the touch Each bears the burden Of loving too much Each bears the burden Of loving too much The man across the Styx, will send Flowers from beyond the end The man across the Styx will be Her lover for eternity Lover Beloved Behold both of these. Lover pursues. Beloved one flees. Lover Beloved From countries apart Each one alone In the land of the heart Each one alone in the land of the heart.
The Ballad Of Miss Amelia
On any southern afternoon If anyone would care to look A face appears inside a house A terrible face It is sexless And white It is dim Like the faces In dreams… It’s Miss Amelia She’s waiting by the window Remembering the laughing In the cafe down below Once Miss Amelia Married a man She married Marvin Масу No one could understand She must have done it for the presents Cause she didn’t like him much And even on their wedding night She wouldn’t let him touch Well, he hung around the doorways Acting foolish with bliss Until he came too close one day She swung once with her fist Miss Amelia was a strong woman She was big and tall Swung once and Marvin Масу Well he fell against the wall Now Miss Amelia is Sitting by the shutters Remembering the laughing In the cafe long ago… After Marvin Масу Had long gone away A little hunchback came to town And this is strange to say That Miss Amelia who had never loved She fell in love with him He was a skipping little troublemaker Still she took him in And so they lived together And were happy for a time Everybody came around And they would drink and dine Miss Amelia made a whiskey It was fine and it was rare Would warm a man into his soul And show' the writing there Miss Amelia’s story Is simple and sad Marvin Масу, he returned to town With all the evil that he had The skipping little hunchback He was quite impressed With Marvin Macy’s history Of robbery and the rest I will not get specific But just let it now be said There was terrible light one night And Miss Amelia was ahead Until the little hunchback Jumped in on Marvin Macy’s side Everybody all agreed That’s the night the cafe died On any southern afternoon If anyone would care to look A face appears inside a house A terrible face It is sexless and white It is dim Like the faces In dreams It’s Miss Amelia She’s waiting by the window Remembering the laughing In the cafe down below It’s Miss Amelia Sitting by the shutters Remembering the laughing In the cafe long ago…
Carson’s Last Supper
I love the world. Sometimes it loves me. The love of my life Is humanity. The rich and the poor The broken and whole All come together Feeding the soul Each one belongs at this feast. Drink to the pleasures! Drink for the pains. Drink for the losses. Drink to the gains! The humble the twisted The proud and the grand Sinner and sinned against This is my stand Each one belongs at this feast. Come and be at this table Come and take what is mine to share with you And if you are able You must give what is thine to give Thine to give, forever We’ll be as one solid body together Drink for the sorrows Drink to the bliss Drink to the raptures of Eros Urst kiss One strong true purpose No thought of return No rest or hope of rest The visions still burn Each one belongs at this feast. Come and be at this table Come and take what is mine to share with you And if you are able You must give what is thine to give Thine to give, forever We’ll be as one solid body together Come and be at this table Come and take what is mine to share with you And if you are able You must give what is thine to give Thine to give, forever We’ll be as one solid body together I love the world. Sometimes it loves me. The love of my life, Is humanity.