Songs in the Key of Baggage

Life inside the music box ain’t easy.
It’s all swing swing swing
with only a comma of a breath
to keep us
in our chairs. 

That Northern country
bites with cold. 
You need to be careful
up there among the brief
glimpses of unsaturated
satisfaction.
Sure, the coke was strong,
but the loneliness was stronger. 

No thanks to the pounding,
relentless House bullshit
that always managed to seep
through the cracks of those
frigid buildings,
the tune of juicy peaches
and honest conversation
carried me on home.

I’ve been waiting a long time
to be flooded with the inconsequential
sounds of pan-scrapers, bed springs,  and early morning shuffles.
After a lifetime of syncopation,
The kerplunk of a lure
Is a symphony.

Folks ask me
How did you manage to survive?
Well, everybody tries to keep themselves alive.