Way after daybreak
Shake that tail feather baby
Late into the night
Stay awake
Wander
Through empty streets
Empty towns
Of starlit gowns
Frowns of missed opportunity
Your first nightOn stage beside the double bass
A shot of fear; so young, so near
Say that you belong
Before the audience
In the throng, he kissed you
For your presence; so tight he ledFed those older guys
Who bled well, gave unsaid
Their recognition
By intuition he gave permission
For untried improvisation
Another perception
As if the third immaculate conception heard
That this boy was special, this boy sure was specialCreep, as sleep your fingers weep
In the bluegrass
In the far off echoes
Of the rock and roll
You stole the solo spot
O so low you dropped
Stopped and shot into the limelight
Just on midnight, sippingLight martini or was it bourbon
For your bit of Scottish on the rocks
We dream of your freedom
Plays on down the alleyway
You sway, o hey Joe you would have cried
By your side the finger steel glides, zing
The strings sing a secret lovers lullabyThe flowers are dried and pressed into the tunes
Runes and silver moons my fairground swoons
My troubadour, my cross Atlantic dresser
Forever June, o harvest moon, zoom
Through and along your highway
The pamphlet EmbroideredCadillac from which this poem is taken is available at the itunes store for only 99 pence, click here to be connected