Thursday, November 18, 2010

give back the name by letson williams


give back the name


it's not just a word
it's something you earn
something vital and tried
that still lives                             at times

indicates          authenticity

which is why             you decide
                                           to pin it to your
often trite
                                         ironic glasses and
hipsta might

you think it's yours        'cause it was given you
but night after night
                                                            i won't forgive you

and if you push it out there long enough 
                                                 if you pretend to be that kind of tough

the one night'll come
                          and it may not be me
but some other fool mad
                          from the improbability
             of what had been un-corruptable
                          now corrupted

time was     
it was only slightly marred      by slurs and by slippers
            eggars’ idea of strings                 that sound like                            strippers

“beautiful”        but empty sweet
                                                                      mean and drugged             underneath

thrown off at last on a houston night
where your old man
well                   he just might

 he gave it to you and found the will to live
 but cowboybootsoncoffeetables don’t make it his to give
you you you ride the wave like you had anything
                                                                                    to do with the moon that brings it in
that shit was permanent                                      
                                                until you burned it



             like what you have came from that man
                          throwing off words    catch-as-catch-can
        but you you you you       y’   scrape and you stand


at every turn like this was yours to take
with your little rock hammer and your heart so fake
and piece by piece       you chip away
                                                 at the thought and at the name

at the love/at the lie
at the electro-shock fallin outta the sky

at west memphis darlin's and Odetta's truth
at rex's bell                         at rex's blues


you can't cut yourself a columbine
you can't black haired dutch boy
you can't fool anyone   but                             

 cops


and you can't fool me


no



you can't fool me

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