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Poems by Larry Tilander
Page Two
The Bell | Savage | Alone in the Dark | Who | The Badge and the Blood | Clyde | Ambush | Kill Dogs | Showdown | Flies | Judy |
The Bell Hey Bill, me mate, imagine that, that we can hear the sound Of church bells ringing loud and clear, from here beneath the ground I fancy that they'll say a prayer for us, being trapped, and all I've never seen the likes old chum, sure was a nasty fall 'Tis lucky that we are old chap to have this pool here The three days I've been drinking it I like it more than beer It's funny, it's so black down here and quiet as the night While up above it's white with snow, all bathed in Heaven's light It's nice and peacefull way down here, a holiday to me While in the shaft they sweat, and slave to try and set us free It's Sunday Bill and this time you must surely hear the knell Of little Jimmy Peterson who rings the temple bell The digging's getting closer now, I hear it when I'm still With almost two weeks drifted by it's good to hear it Bill It's Friday and I fear that there is something dreadfull wrong The sounds aren't any closer Bill, what's taking them so long I guess that I should up myself, it's time again to pray The bell calls out to all good folks to worship God today And truly I am thankfull now, the sounds are getting near Get up there Bill, an hour or two and our mates will be here At last, thank God, it's really here, a little ray of light Oh, turn it 'way, it hurts my eyes, it's really much too bright Why Bill, you're just a heap of bones, you've gone and lost your life Billy, me mate, oh Lord, my God, there's blood here on my knife Savage Most naked in a loincloth rag, a savage with a spear With glist'ning, shiny, filed teeth, his face inspires fear He grovels in the forest mold and feeds on oozing gore An ignorant and filthy beast, a heathen to the core He hearkens to the tribal chief, the shaman is his priest He lives by strength and clever stealth, the cunning of a beast When morning's sun peers through the trees he's off in search of food Looks all day 'neath that blist'ring sun for monkey to be stewed Alarm clock rings at six a.m., a pill to start the day A shower, breakfast, off to work, he's got to earn his pay He pulls a fast one, seals a deal, he's off to celebrate A cutie bar fly sits down near, old smoothie gets a date He grabs a phone, and dials home, hon I'll be late tonight A minute in the men's room and he's feeling all is right Dinner, drinks, a joint or two, a motel out of town A hit or two of benzedrine will never let you down A savage sex scene, forty bucks, a drink, and drop her fast Buy flowers for the wife, and home, make sure the car is gassed Now pop some downs to ease the brain, the traffic is a grind He honks and shakes his fist, and yells, it helps to clear the mind Hello love, how's the kids tonight, some posies for my dear I guess we're out of vodka, so I'll have to grab a beer The mortgage people called today, the payment's overdue I tell you, It's a jungle babe, I'm sure glad I have you The sun goes down, he dances in the village street for joy His woman's given birth today, a healthy little boy Asleep then on his mat of straw in moonlight oh so dim He's happy with his lot in life, there's nothing worries him Alone In the Dark Your parents got wasted despite prohibition Your children get stoned, and go dance in the park And you don't do nothing, you'll never do nothing You'll never do nothing but lie in the dark Your dad struck it rich as an oil prospecter Your son plays a guitar, he's leaving his mark And you have your papers, your stupid old business You'll never do nothing but lie in the dark Your parents would hate you if they were alive now For being so boring and losing your spark Your children do hate you, your wife has a lover You never do nothing but lie in the dark So who will take note when your heart ceases beating Will your passing be held with a lack of remark Will God or the Devil find out when you're ready Will eternity find you alone in the dark You never did nothing but lie in the dark You'll die as you lived all alone in the dark Who For thirty years old Casey his turret lathe did run No holidays for camping, no weekend trips for fun From eight to five he laboured hard, ne'er saw the noonday light In winter, summer, rain, and heat, he worked from morn to night What Casey bought he paid for cash with no one else to thank A house, good cars, his tv set, he'd money in the bank His shopping every Friday night was done in a big mall He had no grubbing relatives, in fact he'd none at all Old Casey, model citizen, he never had a fine He'd books, and shows on tv, for night life he did not pine Sometimes he'd find a stream at night, to sit a while and fish Content with what he had in life no company he'd wish When he had worked his thirty years 'twas time to him retire They gave him praise and wished him well, no one they'd lauded higher For service of such magnitude, he'd never made a botch The boss presented Casey with a real true golden watch They gave him pens, and plaques, and cards, and other special things They heaped him with such honour that his heart soared as on wings Oh thank you Mr.....he stopped, realization came He'd lived so long inside himself he knew no one by name He hangs out downtown every day, down by the soda shop The kids all recognize his face, they call him Casey pop He smiles and shakes your hand and says, I'm Casey, howdy-do And rich or poor, be young or old, he's happy to meet you He asks if you would kindly sir please tell him what's your name Repeats it as in wonderment, and says he's glad you came His old work mates all shake their heads, and laugh at him in fun Then he smiles back and shakes their hands 'cause he likes everyone The Badge and the Blood Saw Paul's name the other day, rememberd him from school In the playground how he was a bully, and a fool He would always fight on until someone made him stop I just don't understand, I hear he has became a cop I remember all the times I'd see him in the bars Or racing up and down the street in souped up hemi cars I've heard he'd beat his wife all bloody, beat the woman raw Now they have given him a badge, they say that he's the law Surprise, there's blood upon his badge, a body in the ground A man who couldn't hear a word, who couldn't make a sound So he was reaching for the card he carried in his shirt Old Paul, the bully, gunned him down all bloody in the dirt We might as well give children guns and put them on the street As psychopaths in blue who want the world at their feet The ones who just take what they want from businesses and whores The blood's upon their hands, I smell aggression from their pores Hey Paul is it a thrill when you can watch your victim die Did you attend the funeral to watch his momma cry That hearing that they had yes it exonerated you Your cronies all agreed that it's what anybody'd do So Paul, you'll likely kill again, the badge more bloody still Hey do you get all pumped up there, Paul, is it fun to kill You think your gun's a pretty toy, do bullets come for free Do you keep a big pocket full, you saving one for me? Clyde I rode on in with spirits high, two weeks gone on the range But even as I passed the gate I felt that things were strange The dogs were quiet, nothing moved, then from my horse I fell For I saw such a grisly sight my bones just seemed to gel Up in the orchard by the stream, a swinging in the breeze My parents dead and hanging stiff in the old apple trees I ran up to the house half crazed and stumbled in the door And saw my brothers lying there all broken on the floor My mind can still see little Bill so happy with his toys And Jimmy with his fishing pole, oh who could kill such boys Where is dear Anne, my sister fair, fifteen, and soon to wed Oh God if really you exist poor Anne just can't be dead I searched the house and found her there, why did she have to die Her dress, torn, up around her waist, the blood upon her thigh A fly crawled 'cross her hand and in what she scrawled 'fore she died In blood there on her bedroom wall, the damning name of Clyde So you ask who I am Clyde James, I'm Satan, straight from Hell I am the angel of your death, I ring your funeral knell I'm judge and jury, you and yours are guilty in my eyes Each of you crawling scum will scream and beg before he dies Ambush The blisters on my seat were raw, my hair was full of sand Five days of skinnin' almost done, the whip spoke in my hand The badlands flew on by, a blur, the sun glared like an eye The mules knew the route by heart, I dreamed of Betsy's pie Then like a shot a shout rang out, I reined the team back hard A group of bandits rode in quick, they shot and killed my guard The whole thing happened so danged fast there's nothing I could do I couldn't run, I didn't draw or they'd have drilled me too They took the stage, the mules too, they robbed the riders' cash They beat the banker when he fought, he died under their lash They tied the school marm to a tree and with her had their fun She killed herself when one of them got too close with a gun The only ones they left alive were Billy Simms and me Bill died last night, I buried him beneath a mosquite tree 'Fore I die too I'll tell you how you'll know this foul band The leader of the killers has six fingers on each hand Kill Dogs Wherever you are I despise you, you murdering dogs that make war Your plots and assassinations, you trouble this Earth like a sore Yes, you in the green with your rifle, and you with the pips on your shirt You curs, you deserve to be humbled, crushed down like mad dogs in the dirt Then there is your spawn in the cities, the mongrels sit ready to bite The wolves of the streets must be put down, good citizens go forth and fight You've seen them at work, and out walking, these evil whelps bent to destroy With faces that smile, they'll kill you, they think of the world as their toy They'll fire on innocent people, for kicks they will rape, kill, and burn They crumble the world around us and give nothing back in return Don't hand me that good/evil story, or war between sane and insane Just face it, and label it stupid, this violence with nothing to gain If you offer a better replacement the world will take what you give When you've nothing constructive to offer you may as well live, and let live If I held the sick sons of bitches who'll kill king, musician, or pope And I had but a short inch of leeway I would give the curs three yards of rope Showdown I watch him closely, watch his eyes, my heart pounds like a drum And then he reaches as he smiles, my body feels numb My hand goes down, I am too slow, the passing of a train Is louder than the bullet that goes rustling through my brain I am surprised as I am dying that it doesn't hurt I sink into a peacefull sleep, and tumble to the dirt Flies In the morning hear them coming, they are humming, flies From the barnyard they come winging with their happy buzzy singing, flies Then they make their gooey trips, on your lips, on your eyes Flies, flies, flies In the soup, and on the pies Little tickles on your thighs Flies, flies, flies, flies, flies Now you've tried insecticide None have died Flies Then you've chased them in the gloom Flies With a broom Flies Til your breath Dies Now you're lying in a box, in a crypt, on hallowed ground You are straining in the dark, but you cannot hear a sound Then a buzzing and humming Again they are coming Flies While you're lying there dreaming the dreams of the dead They are laying their eggs on your clothes, on your head Every human is born, and he lives, and he dies For the feeding and pleasure of millions of flies Judy The very first time I saw Judy I swore by the heavens she had to be mine Such a face, oh the face of an angel, so rare, the hair, raven beauty, divine So I followed her out to the field that day and stayed 'til her friends had all gone How her smile drew me on to the summit of bliss, she was safe in my flat before dawn Now the years have gone by, maybe thirty or more, so fast that it seems really strange That all through the seasons, the famines, the wars, her aspect has taken no change But the power's been off now for ages, and I, I looked, and her smile's turned down The first ever time that my beauty, my Judy, has looked up to me with a frown Now me, the old stone face mortician I'm called, who feelings have never once felt I'm standing here crying, oh God help me please, my Judy is starting to melt
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