Wednesday, May 8, 2013

A Long Long Way to Run

a jealous pair of cheekbones
(made me jealous that is)
in a scratchy sweater
eighties and ironic
and in need of an iron
and smelling of cellar carpets

nothing much to talk to
not even much to look at
away from the gin glimmer
and
pasty lighting of a dive bar

but you found my knob right away
and found it responsive
and gave a twist
tweaking the gain
pumping up the volume
dance
dance
dialing diabolically

and I sang for you
more of a warble
smoke too many cigarettes
to do much else
but there's some beauty there
right inside the thinness
of an amateur singer's voice

I only had that single
control
I only had that lone adjustment
to make
up to ten
or down to one
one
one knob
after a while so tiresome
such a boring thing
because you've got
the two hands
and more

sang out my heart
sang out my throat
sang out the sinuses beneath
cheekbones
ordinary in any light

and you danced away
dejected and pissed off
but not before blowing out my speakers

and now my songs
are all like crinkling paper

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