Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Shout Out to Annie...and Dad

Drivin' north like Braxton Bragg,
wonderin' if it's worth the gas.
August's heat is draggin' me down:
stiflin', drownin' humid days, all haze,
not cool...so not cool.

Playin' that EP you bought,
the one I never bothered
to listen to...leastwise
not until it was "my" idea.
Yeah...that's the way I'm wired.

So tired...but now I got Hootenannie
on the brain. I love this song,
the same one I said she wrote
for me: "A disenchanted man...
holdin' more than one should bear."

Sheddin' a tear, or two, or three,
thinkin' 'bout my dad, again.
Man, oh man, what a mess
he's in. He just didn't plan
for this. I wish I knew what to do.

"I see your tears, you're trying
to understand," and failin', Annie,
flailin' and failin', big time.
"What do you do when life
don't wind up like you planned?"

Y'all know Annie, sister blogger,
Parsons' daughter, and she
oughta be on the radio, yo!
Lady's got soul...schoolin' me,
near twice her age, on how to be alive.

That's my M/O, no jive...fallin' hard
for the dream...not Dreamboat Annie,
you know what I mean: the one where life
is smooth like Young's ice cream,
where we embrace this place as home.

Sorry, I could go on and on, dear friends,
but we know how this song ends, don't we?
"There's no way around the hard times."
The EP spins, and Annie Parsons sings,
"will your feet to hit the floor," once more.

(For more on Annie's EP, click here, and you'll enjoy her blog!)

This poem is part of One Stop Poetry's One Shot Wednesday poetry gathering, where all poets are welcome to share. Make the rounds!

9 comments:

Sam Liu said...

Wonderful poem, it was a real delight to read. I'll be sure to pay Annie a visit :)

The Bug said...

See - you should listen to me more often :)

Sorry it's so hard right now...

Brian Miller said...

that was a fun poem to read...sorry about your dad...sounds like that is some EP as well...

dustus said...

"not cool...so not cool."
I think that part's absolutely brilliant, as is the way you change gears to related thoughts. When the voice transitions to direct address, it's very moving. thank you. GREAT POEM

Marshy said...

the link ups between each stanza were excellent..and so was the poem..i felt the mood and the toughness of times, i also could understand chosing a song as a backdrop to your emotion..great poem and thanks for sharing with One shot..cheers Pete

PattiKen said...

Wonderful poem. This just begs to be sung by an enigmatic country and western singer in jeans and a black hat worn low on his forehead.

Carolina Linthead said...

LOL, PattiKen! Annie can sing backup (one of her life goals is to be a country & western backup singer/songwriter). Thanks for stopping by!

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a road-trip musing, or a song. I love the action-filled feel!
http://mairmusic.wordpress.com/

hootenannie said...

Oh my goodness. This? MADE MY DAY. No, even more - this made my AUGUST.

I am so humbled that my meager little offerings have made a difference to you. I want to write things that make people feel something - anything - so thank you for the confirmation.

Blessings on your head - and your dad, too. So glad to be connected.