Richard Brautigan – Candlelion

Richard Brautigan

the other line

she  listened to

the cd bought by you

two birthdays ago,

classic love songs,

phone cradled by her mouth

waiting

to hear a real human

not the automated response

only the real voice had come

masked by the music,

a thousand miles away

in a call center ,

he heard her breathing

murmur of lyrics

as she sang,

his phone did not move

from his ear,

waiting to speak

too afraid to lose

the connection,

waited for her to speak first

 

garments that have been pressed

seek her in her grassy tomb

flesh fleece and evening star,

murmurs rise from escaped soul

mouth a shrine to heavens kiss,

text on stone chiseled deep

scythe a scalpel to those around,

to a vow made on cradle key

in binding earth no more a sleep

a million flakes of tempted tremors,

noonday heat rises with the sun,

rise up on quivering breeze

her broken tongue is healing

love a radiant throng

the sick longing eye and dropping of

gossamer veil,

chants names of those  exposed

beyond wither,

whole flesh again

i wish back that angry fist

spirits breathe in sensual undulate

on pages of book no longer departed

i have said my piece up to space,

enameled hand paints gallery in the cave

images as she had been growing wild

reaching out,

some say i am a crook

a felon

a murderer

an abuser

LA has no cheap glories for them to remember

i am hunted,

drone circling over head,

zeal of vocal chords will not be heard

Stand Up and Wanting

laughter detached from beauty

many faces appreciated,

her own humor made her belong

in this bar,

this night,

eighty five people with warm beer

saw her on the stage

not silent they talked,

she became part of their life,

jokes about mundanity,

the effectiveness of marriage,

up there she was not sorry,

a guitarist joined her sometimes,

whiskey added fire to the jokes

with political edge,

never a pawn

she had an opinion,

yet behind the facade of comic pride

she screamed,

her bust under black sequin bodice

grasped and strangled her heart,

unless she did something wrong

caught up their in the light

amp resounding her voice,

she would continue to the end

and after last light

clicked off,

would find her own sorrow and silence