Originally posted 12/11/2012.

“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 you 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

marvel at how it took four people
to write one line

about a truth every 16 year old
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

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

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

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

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

dream yourself into being a ghost superstar
by dint of broadcast ominpresence

but even the superstars will tell you
that in fact

in truth and real life
we end up most often alone

in a small room with wood and wire 
pen paper bone pain and joy

this is
what that thing does to you

welcome and
don’t say you weren’t warned