“he didn’t leave much to ma and me just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze”  s. silverstein

if you thought it was written by Johnny Cash
you are forgiven a little

if you thought he was telling the truth 
you are forgiven a little more

if you hate your name too 
and all you have to fight it with
is your missing bad ass dad’s old guitar

you are not only forgiven everything
you are blessed and should forgive me
for everything I am about to say

“they’re dead wrong I know they are cause I can play this here guitar”  weill, mann, lieber & stoller

can you explain 
why it took four people to write one line
about a truth every 16 year old kid 
with a death grip on a maple neck
learns by osmosis
from the first chord

“well I got this guitar and I learned how to make it talk”  b. springsteen

can you
interrogate your guitar
till it owns up
to things you have never done

“the bitter comes out better on a stolen guitar”  d. bowie

if you’ve not 
stolen a guitar yet
have we even seen
your bitter yet

“your guitar it sounds so sweet and clear but you’re not really here it’s just the radio”  l. russell

ghost superstar by dint
of your broadcast ominpresence

in fact in truth in real life
we end up usually alone
in a small room
with wood and wire 
pen paper and bone

this is what
it does for you
does to you
kid 

get ready