Poetry Session

~Radio Dark Night~

In that year
We had an intense visitation of energy

When radio dark night existed and assumed control,
And we rocked in its web
Consumed by static, and stroked with fear
We were drawn down long from a deep sleep,
And awaken'd at dayfall by worried guardeners
And made to be led thru dew wet jungle to the swift summit,
O'er looking the sea...

(piano)

In that year
We had an intense visitation...

~A Vast Radiant Beach (Awake)~

A vast radiant beach and a cool jewelled moon.
Couples naked race down by its quiet side
And we laugh like soft mad children,
Smug in the wooly cotton brains of infancy.

The music and voices are all around us.
Choose, they croon the ancient ones
The time has come again
Choose now, they croon beneath the moon
Beside an ancient lake
Enter again the sweet forest
Enter the hot dream, come with us.
Everything is broken up and dances

~Moonshine Night~

(At this point we hear a West Virginia mountain music, Violins)
Moonshine night Mountain Village
Insane in the woods in the deep trees
Under the moon
Beneath the stars
They reel and dance
The young folk
Led to the Lake by a King and Queen
Oh, I want to be there I want us to be there
Beside the lake
Beneath the moon
Cool and swollen dripping its hot liquor
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

~Frozen Moment By A Lake~

Frozen moment by a lake
A Knife has been stolen
The death of the snake
I know the impossible sea when the dogs bark
I am a death bird
Naughty night bird

~Bird Of Prey~

Bird of prey, bird of prey
Flying high, flying high
In the summer sky

Bird of prey, bird of prey
Flying high, flying high
Gently pass on by

Bird of prey, bird of prey
Flying high, flying high
Am I going to die

Bird of prey, bird of prey
Flying high, flying high
Take me on your flight

~Dawns HWY~

Indians scattered on dawn's highway bleeding
Ghosts crowd the young child's fragile egg-shell mind

~Under Waterfall~

Underwaterfall, Underwaterfall
The girls return from summer balls
Let's steal the eye that sees us all

~The Hitchhiker~

Tell them you came and saw & looked into my eyes,
And saw the shadow of the guard receding
Thoughts in time and out of season

The hitchhiker stood by the side of the road
And levelled his thumb in the calm calculus of reason
(and then a car passes)

Why does my mind circle around you
Why do planets wonder what it
Would be like to be you
All your soft wild promises were words
Birds, endlessly in flight

Your dog is still lost in the frozen woods or he would run to you
How can he run to you lunging with blooded sickness on the snow
He's still sniffing gates and searching strangers for your smell
which he remembers very well

Is there a moon in your window
Is madness laughing
Can you still run down beach rocks bed below without him?

~Winter Photography~

Winter Photography
our love's in jeopardy

Winter Photography
our love's in jeopardy

Sit up all night, talking smoking
Count the dead and wait for morning

(Will warm names and faces come again?
Does the silver forest end?)

~Whiskey, Mystics And Men~

Well I'll tell you a story of whiskey and mystics and men
And about the believers, and how the whole thing began
First there were women and children obeying the moon
Then daylight brought wisdom and fever and sickness too soon
You can try to remind me instead of the other you can
You can help to insure that we all insecure our command
If you don't give a listen I won't try to tell your new hand
This is it can't you see that we all have our end in the band

And if all of the teachers and preachers of wealth were arraigned
We could see quite a future for me in the literal sands
And if all of the people could claim to inspect such regret
Well we'd have no forgiveness forgetfulness faithful remorse
So I tell you I tell you I tell you we must send away
We must try to find a new answer instead of a way

~Orange County Suite~

Well I used to know someone fair
She had orange ribbons in her hair
She was such a trip
She was hardly there
But I loved her
Just the same.

There was rain in our window,
The FM set was ragged
But she could talk, yeah,
We learned to speak
And one year has gone by

Such a long long road to seek it
All we did was break and freak it
We had all that lovers ever had
We just blew it
And I'm not sad
Well I'm mad
And I'm bad

And two years have gone by
Now her world was bright orange
And the fire glowed
And her friend had a baby
And she lived with us
Yeah, we broke through the window
Yeah, we knocked on the door
Her phone would not answer,
Yeah, but she's still home

Now her father has passed over
And her sister is a star
And her mother smokes diamonds
And she sleeps out in the car
Yeah, but she rememebers Chicago
The musicians and guitars
And grass by the lake and people who laugh'd
And made her poor heart ache

Now we live down in the valley
We work out on the farm
We climb up to the mountains and
everything's fine and
I'm still here and
You're still there and
We're still around.

~ All Hail The American Night~

All hail the American Night
And so I say to you
The silk handkerchief was embroidered in China or Japan
Behind the steel curtain
And no one can cross the borderline without proper credentials.

This is to say that we are all sensate and occasionally sad and if every
Partner in crime were to incorporate promises in his program
The dance might end and all our friends would follow another program.

Who are our friends?
Are they sullen and slow?
Do they have great desire?
Or are they one of the multitude who...
Walk doubting their impossible regret.

~Far Arden Poem~

Certainly things happen and reoccur in continuous promise;
All of us have found a safe niche where we can store up riches
And talk to our fellows on the same premise of disaster.

But this will not do.
No, this will never do.

There are continents and shores which beseech our understanding
Seldom have we been so slow
Seldom have we been so far
My only wish is to see Far Arden again

~Texas Radio & The Big Beat~
(Letter From Shirley)

(In this next part will be done in a woman voice)
The truth is on his chest
The cellular excitement has
Totally inspired our magic Veteran.

And now for an old trip.
I'm tired of the night.
I want the old forms to reassert their sexual cool.
My friend is just... you know.
And this morning before I sign off
I would like to tell you about Texas Radio & the Big Beat.

It moves into the perimeter of your sacred sincere and dedicated smile
Like a calm survivor of the psychic war.
He was no general for he was not old.
He was no private for he could not be sold.
He was only a man and his dedication extended to the last degree.
Poor pretentious soldier, come home.

The dark Los Angeles evening is steaming the Church
That we attended and I miss my boy.
Stupid in green- What the color green?
When I watch the T.V. and I see helicopters swirling
Their brutal and bountiful sensation
Over the fields and the comic walls
I can only smile and fix a meal and think
About the child who will one day own you.

In conclusion, darling, let me repeat:
Our home is still here, inviolate and certain
And I open the wide smile of my remembrance
Of your enlanging face

This to you on the anniversary of our first night.
I know you love me to talk this way.

I hope no one sees this message written in the calm lonely
Far out languid afternoon with my total love:

Sherley