Damn It All

Damn these old songs
And the memories they recall
No 
Recall is not the word
For they make the memories come alive
And the years shift from here to there
To short scenes with this one or that
To moments locked up deep inside
Not allowed to come forth
For the pain they bring
Masochistic pain
For they bring joy as well
And it all started with a Nanci Griffith song
That started out with a beat count
“One, Two, Three…cry”
Beginning a song about her mother
Whose first words are
“If I promise not to cry….”

I have a patchwork of memories
Like a favorite old quilt
Swatches of time and emotion
That hold me here
Pen in hand
To let the emotion spill to the page

Damn those songs
I’ve been playing this morning
As I try to do a little work
But the words sneak in
And suddenly I am blue
Filled with patches of moments
Of words
Of good-byes
Damn it all

Michael Mathews
SETX
07/03/11
11:39 AM