Hiking with Toddler

The toddler and I were awaiting other mothers with wee ones on the former back nine of the Mt Airy frisbee golf course.  This was the meeting point for the weekly incarnation of Free Forest School.  Which I lead, because no one else wants to.  The air was brisk but we dined on pantry forage sans gloves.  If my wee one is toughing it out without gloves I will allow her example to be the one I reinforce upon her.  She's two and half.  Before we set out for our hike she admonished me for wearing gloves.  I reluctantly threw them in the car.  I was pretty excited to wear these gloves too as they were a spring clearance item at REI.  It goes without saying that I haven't had a chance to wear them

But I get ahead of myself

It was chilly, maybe upper thirties, I thought a few folks might show up.  If not, the kid and I can just go off and wander.  An intrepid spirit in his sixties approached from trail yonder with dog in tow and made way for us.  He displayed such enthusiasm for us about to embark the trail in these conditions.  Since selecting this location (on the former back nine of the disc golf course) for Free Forest School, I half expect folk to assume I'm talking my daughter disc golfing.  That actually sounds like a great idea.  I digress.  The man asked me which trail I was going to take.  I told him that I'd just follow her.  He thought that was a good idea and told me about the conditions of either path.  It wasn't as frozen as he hoped, which indicated muddy, but you can always just turn around.  Well, obviously I couldn't let this man see me put my baby in the car before I saw him again.  It was imperative I not let this man and his dog down.  Which was sorta an issue because it became apparent after about fifteen minutes that no other mothers were going to show with their charges and I was a bit anxious that I left a burner on on the stove.  I was thinking about this the entire time.  I occasionally am OCD about it.  That and locking doors.  My assertion has borne fruit in the past.  Which makes it even worse.  Not the stove though.  Knock on wood   

So no mothers came.  I asked the kid what she wanted to do.  Go hiking, home?  Do you really want to go home?  She wanted to hike up a barren disc golf hill, not these other trails lush with forever green trees which pique any landscape.  We came across that old man and his dog as we made our way back to the car.  He smiled and most likely went home assured that all was right with the world

Almost forgot my house could be burning.  The cats.  Turned out, nothing of the sort

93 Ford Festiva

Just thinking about that damn car reminded me I needed to let my buddy know it was available for him to use.  Yeah he loves to drive that car.  So do I.  I don't know if you've ever tried to parallel park a small car without power steering.  I was trying just that this morning and busted by front teeth on the halfway open window trying to navigate.  It's tough to get the window all the way down and you just give up after a while.  I thought the window was down which is otherwise my style.  My teeth are fine thank you.  The last time I busted my teeth it wasn't all that good.  A chip from my front tooth crumbled into my mouth as I tried to do something funny with a beer bottle.  We were at one of the those throwback roadhouses conveniently just a mile from where we were living so we could afford to ruthlessly assault our bodies.  I couldn't tell ya what I was trying to accomplish with that little stunt but I do know that I had a captive audience and they turned their attention away at that pivotal moment.  I think I would remember the high fives after I gleefully bore witness the affliction in the palm of my hand.  Seated at the bar at that very bar maybe months later in the daylight hours this feller and I were trading stories over Budweisers maybe waiting on friends maybe not, I told this man that story and he laughed.  My mouth is my moneymaker I said.  He quit laughing and we stopped talking.  I understood why 

The Beastie Boys and that Highway NOISE

The highway ROLLED
on a melancholy hum
the petulant WHEELS
provided the strum

The interstate crawled 
at the pace of a SNAIL
The gas station coffee
was refreshingly STALE

The road was HUNGRY
so I fed it it's meal 
three shiny pieces 
that shone like STEEL

She raised her arm 
to signify she was FULL
this life on the road
it's never DULL

Sooooo.....

Here comes the FUN
10 sovereign lanes
convene into ONE
I speed up
I slow down 
I turn slightly LEFT
A man and his muse
is always DEFT

I picked up a man
who held out his THUMB
He outlasted the rain
And we balled numbly DUMB

Oh the ode 
to Kerouac's Road
And the proteges of
that man Tom Joad
Wander and wonder
let the story be told

The world wore heavy
on your hero and mine
His knees buckled 
until it broke his spine
His weary friend 
offered to bind 
his awful mind
with a bottle of wine
and a pack of cigarettes 
if they got the time 

Oh the bars don't close
until we say they do
We're new in town
goood-lookin
and who are you?
That's ok
We gotta place to stay
Don't gotta go out your way
to tell us nay
Our perversion for diversion
will fulcrum this ship's submersion 
More on that later, back to the merging 
 
AND the night does BECKON
 I'm hopefully lost
the needle's on empty
and refuge is SOUGHT
I won't sleep anywhere
not at any COST
So exit 495
and the rest area PARKING LOT
 In my sleeping bag driver's seat
comfort no hotel 
could have BOUGHT

Throughout the twilight 
so spent my night 
alone as a broken bone
sun bleached in Georgia O'Keefe
Arise with the sunrise
to let me know 
that I am home

One whore town

One whore town

Mama got a job
in a one whore town
not much to do
'cept lie around

daddy's gone
but the bills remain
envelopes everyday
got a different stain

she'd pick us up
in her pick up truck
rode shotgun
if i got the luck

me and sis
was close of age
we helped mama out
with minimum wage

tough being mama
five kids to raise
got a bit of money
but nothing saved

kept under the sheets
how them bills get paid

To the One That Got Away

 To the One That Got Away


I wasn't fishing for a good time
when you feel into my lap
I needed some time
time to relax
I was cozy in my chair
I fell into a nap

You startled me
from my doze
I saw your face
I woulda rose
but your beauty
froze me in that stupid pose

And just like that
you were gone
So I woke up one morning
and wrote this country song
I need her back in my arms
that's the place where she belongs

If I saw her again
I would say
"Hello darlin'
why don't 'cha stay?
I'll make you dinner
be your sunshine ray
There's no need to stray
when I hold you tight
keep them wolves at bay.
So darlin'
Woulda say?"

Now each night
'for I go to bed
I look up at the man
overhead

and i said

"Dear Jesus
I'm an honest man
Just some things
I don't understand
Since she can't
be in my arms
won't 'cha steer
her free from harm?
Be her guiding light
Wash her tears
tuck her in at night
If you do that
I can live alright.

OH it's a sad sad day
I sing the song
about the one that got away
OH it's a sad sad day
she woulda made for a pretty good fillet

West Virginny no way no how

I couldn't fit in all of the stereotypes of the fine folks of West Virginia, but I tried. 

(September 2012)

you won't find me

in west virginny

with no quarter to my name

you won't find me

in west virginny

kissing my dear brother's dame

you won't find me

in west virginny

i done took the train

arms wrapped up around

my dear brother's dame

out in the holler

i'd run moonshine for the boys

daddy twanged the banjo

and I joined him in the noise

sat on the porch

with my dear fiddle

daddy sang a lot

and I sang a little

the youngin's was dancin'

the tallest in the middle

brother was missing

it wasn't a riddle

out in the holler

brother shootin' dear

daddy twanged the bajno

smellin' dinner comin' near

yonder in the holler

to feed his family

chase them doe eyed deer

in his dear appalachy

threw the kill in a sack

threw it on it's back

onto the dirt floor

of our one story shack

we all was happy

we could taste

the sappy blood of bambi

we ran to the latrine

and called upon our daddy

daddy twanged the banjo

brother skinned the deer

it weren't quite dead

and brother lost an ear

ran off into the woods

to resume her life

brother cursed a lot

she took off with his knife

buried in her thick hide skin

it was a present from his wife

down at the table

no one sayin' grace

all were quiet

no smiles on their face

we dug in to our meatless stew

and i suddenly felt displaced

i said when i was young

that when i grew taller

i have a pretty dollar

run off with

my uncle's daughter

and out this holler

so i grabbed my brother's wife

our first cousin jess

hopped on a train

and forgot about this mess

we'll make a family of our own

move to the city

into a mobile home

i'll work nights

leave you and the twins alone

living in sin

living with ma kin

if i had another dollar

i'd do it all again

goodbye west virginny

goodbye for now

goodbye west virginny

won't come back

no way no how.

Working class clown

My inspiration for this is Bob Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues

 

what a pity
living in the city
when you're no longer pretty
situation's shitty
when you ain't seen a titty
since 1950
lost my job

just baby sitting kitty

people with the wealth stare

when I dig through the trashcan

out in my underwear
can't afford no food
so i go on the welfare
pain in the ass
but i can't afford no health care

moved back with my family
just turned 43
ma's on hand and knees
dirtying up her dungarees
i sleep on the couch till 2 or 3

dad works nights at the factory

he come on home yelling at me

'fucking bum

get a job
'for i get my gun
don't care if yer my son
don't walk

when ya gotta run!'

kicked out the union
stealing wine at communion
pass the bottle around
at the unemployment line reunion

'hey steve hey bob
did you hear 'bout our friend rob?
moved out to cali
changed his name to sally
living all alone
tugging guys in an alley

'what about bill the model
his last dollar won the lotto
so he took to the bottle
he can't walk
he can only hobble

'speaking of the bottle
pass the wine.
i'm next in line