I was fabulous once.
Caught in between the dreams of the jazz singer on a Tuesday night
longing for Saturday's noise
Caught between the leather shoes of the Bluesman
the necklace of the gangster
with its jewels and crosses
Caught in the Catholic crosshairs
the gun of Jesus aimed for me
Blatant in his misery the war lord stopped at the edge of my river
looked at his reflection and drowned
my throat was once wrapped with the cool breath
of Ophelia's song
her tired hands now hold water
the flowers have floated downstream.
I once clung to the silver movie screen
both an actor and a bat
bathed in artificial light
looming like a ghost in the rafters
calling the shots and gleaming like a harp in the sun
my melodies ringing like bells into space
my nostrils thick with the perfume
of my symphony.
