If you’re wondering why the stanzas are so weird, it’s because I originally wrote this piece as a song, not a poem….
There are paths we walk when we are lost
There are ways we change our world with words
Our sight with labels put on lines
Our eyes with tears we cry at night
Am I two spirits flying blind
Am I lost too deep inside
Myself and all the other things
I keep there – buried away
Am I alone as I would think
After all these years without Continue reading Flying Blind
This week I’m doing things a little differently…. If you know much about my tastes in music, you might know that I quite like Hozier. Undoubtedly one of their best known and most unique sounding songs is “Take Me to Church”. I’ve always loved the song, but I’ve gotta admit the lyrics aren’t my favorite. That’s why, this week, instead of a poem I’m sharing “Take Me to Town” – a parody I wrote to the tune of “Take Me to Church” based on what it’s like to move to a small town in order to attend college. Enjoy!
(PS – If you haven’t listened to the song, I recommend doing so. Even if the lyrics aren’t your cup of tea, the sound is still amazing. You can find the song here)
“Take Me to Town”
Haliburton’s got some cheer
It’s not a place for students to fear
And yet they say “don’t go to art school”
Should I have taken that gap year?
It’s a nice town in a good way
But there are some things I cannot find
Some buildings missing from the main street
A new discovery each week
“This place is not big.” You heard them say it
My town offers few commodities
It has no theater or drive-in
The only movies I see past six
Are when I’m on Netflix
And then there’s sushi – there is no sushi
Anywhere in town
Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.
Take me to town
I’ll rely on transportation from my feet
Re-shave my head less than once every week
Student budget – trust my advice
You know, you’ll love that small town life
If I’m a student, I’m the good kind
Haven’t turned into a jackass
To keep the teachers off my ass
They demand my marks be first-class
To get above a C, paint realistically
They know the guy who made that blue horse
As if it’s just a matter of course
But they expect me to be as good
And eat some vegetables for food
When junk food and beer
Is so much cheaper here
School is hungry work
Take me to town
I’ll rely on transportation from my feet
Re-shave my head less than once every week
Student budget – trust my advice
You know, you’ll love that small town life
No parents or siblings when your trip up north begins
There is no better way to spend your well-earned government loan
And don’t you be afraid – go ahead and get tattooed
You don’t need it to fit in here
But you know it looks so cool
Oh yes. Oh yes. Oh yes.
Take me to town
I’ll rely on transportation from my feet
Re-shave my head less than once every week
Student budget – trust my advice
You know, you’ll love that small town life
M.
Archival ink on paper – pointillism
Sep 11/16
Graduation has a way of creeping up to you and freezing everything else… including blog posts. Now I’m back again after a wild ride. In the words of one of my very favorite teachers: Thank you for flying with us.
Graduation
Breathe deeply, breathe a sigh
And let no word distract
From your presence
– your fully being here.
Hear the wind
Breathe sighs within you
The way it holds your cries
And sweeps them out
Into the world
Sweet wind that moves the ageless trees
I know no what distraction sees
But feel an earthen heartbeat
Sway beneath your gentle breeze
You are a song
Which, in singing, we remember
And soft melodies so old
They fade to myth
Still resound in our clanging spirits,
Our hearty souls
And our growing consciousnesses
You are a songbird in these trees
I know not what the wind believes
But I am calm
And know to never let the future freeze
We never know what we will do
We are out of our minds
And into this silent world
That shouts and whispers
While all we think of
Are the embers of an end,
The soft flames licking up
Into a new beginning
M.
written Jun 13/15
photo credits: Damara Moe Photography
[insert clever wordplay] 