I SHOULD WIN A NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE FOR THIS POEM

Nothing.

DEBBIE FIELDS

I met you there in Herndon,
At the elementary school,
I guess I should’ve have known it,
Debbie, I was such a fool

I thought you might’ve liked me,
But I was so sedate,
I wasn’t quite so confident,
Way back in ‘68

You and your friend Gayla,
Would sometimes laugh at me,
But your eyes whispered kindness,
Or so it seemed, you see

But time it passes quickly,
And the devil wants to deal,
What was, never will be,
And these ghosts won’t let me heal

I moved away from Herndon,
To a smaller, southern town
Surrounded by the mountains,
And captured by the sounds

I spent the years growing,
Beneath the valley’s pines,
No one knew it, Debbie,
You were always on my mind,

There came an understanding,
What longing often yields,
The fertile hopes of youth,
Took root in Debbie’s fields

But time it passes quickly,
And the devil wants to deal,
What was, never will be,
And these ghosts won’t let me heal

I returned to Herndon,
When I was seventeen,
Walked into a fast food joint,
After “Freebie and the Bean”

And there behind the counter,
Now my age and care free,
I saw you smiling, Debbie
And then you looked at me

And there was recognition,
Of this boy that you once knew,
I would’ve given anything,
Just to talk to you

But business is business,
You can never have a line,
And just like back in ’68,
I left yet one more time

And time it passes quickly,
And the devil wants to deal,
What was, never will be,
And these ghosts won’t let me heal

Decades come and go,
And I’m reminded of my youth,
We re-write our histories,
To avoid the somber truths

And while I miss you still
As strange as that may seem,
It’s not really an obsession,
More a hopeful dream

So I hide these wistful feelings,
As I’m sure most others do,
Why do they still haunt us?
These memories bleeding through

And time it passes quickly,
And the devil wants to deal,
What was, never will be,
And these ghosts won’t let me heal


Copyright; EGHarne

I STILL CAN'T SAY GOODBYE (21ST CENTURY LYRICS W/ APOLOGIES TO CHET ATKINS)

When I was young, I would say,
"Dad, why do you act so fey?"
He'd slap my face and then,
Sashay...away

We'd go the the gas station,
He'd say, "Fill 'er up!"
While fondling his "D" cups,
Made me just wanna throw up

Don't want to be like him...

No matter how hard I try,
No matter how many tears I cry,
No matter how many years go by,
I still have to ask myself, "Why?"

I'd play sports,
Mom and Dad came to the games,
They would both be dressed the same,
Nearly drove me insane

Brought my date home,
From the prom,
There was Dad with pasties on!
Please tell me what the hell went wrong?

Don't want to be like him...

Wind blows through the trees,
Streetlights, they still shine bright,
Most Dads are the same,
But I knew mine wasn't quite right

Walked by a Salvation Army store,
Saw a dress that my Daddy wore,
I tried it on...
Fixed the hem...
My God! I'm just like him!!

No matter how hard I try,
No matter how many years go by,
No matter how many tears I cry,
Nylons chafe my thighs!


Copyright; EGHarne

NONSENSE

You can carry a suitcase,
But never a tune,
You can Leave It To Beaver,
But never to June

You can bask in the glory,
But burn in the sun,
You can toss all your cookies,
But still get the runs

You can bury the hatchet,
But still feel the pain,
You can make up excuses,
But never explain

You can take things for granted,
But mistake them for stone,
You can sell just the sizzle,
But always get boned

Copyright; EGHarne

HOMELY HERBIE

Herbie was a homely boy,
He made his classmates scream,
For poor, poor little Herbie,
Every day was Halloween

His parents wouldn't touch him,
He scared his sister Ruth,
He'd sneak up on the mirror,
Just to brush his tooth

He avoided public places,
He'd often felt the sting,
Of people's frightened faces,
And projectile vomiting

But Herbie had a secret,
That gave him hours of fun,
Herbie had three penises
Instead of only one

Copyright; EGHarne

NOTHING LEFT TO SAY

Well, the sunset falls upon me,
And the clouds slowly fade away,
And I wonder how I got here,
Is there nothing left to say?

I started strong and knowing,
With a future very bright,
But now I wait and wonder,
Seems I’m closer to the night

Yes, there are those who love me,
Who shared with me their trust,
But I didn’t trust enough to tell,
What was inside turned to dust

There was a plan I followed,
A path that I was shown,
And regrets they overtake me,
For the plan was not my own

So I light a single candle,
To illuminate my life,
But seeing things more clearly,
Doesn’t set them right

For I’ve lived another’s destiny,
And fate has made me pay,
My dreams have died slowly inside,
And there’s nothing left to say

Copyright; EGHarne

SQUARE ONE

I see a wide expanse of water,
Reflecting the evening sky,
The North Star holds a fascination,
But I no longer wonder why

I stand here near the shoreline,
Waiting on the return,
For any kind of feeling,
I had before I was burned

My heart floats so far,
So very far,
Out to sea...
She can take it,
Break it,
And wash it back to me...

What remains I'll leave behind,
Beating in the foam,
From this day hence I swear to God,
I'll face this world alone

Copyright; EGHarne