Benjibopper

So Different

Scanning the Mars horizon
for seaweed heroes
I asked “who will stand?
Who will be my guru savior?
Who will be my man?”
Bob Dylan stumbled
from the whiskey wasteland
Nietzsche denied my soul
Charles Wallace near off’d my head
Dragon slayers swallowed me whole

“To hell with them all” said I
“No heroes reside in this puppy pound.”
Rosie stood there observing
She caught me as I spun around
She held me there with her prayer-book eyes
Said “how about me?”
With that leprechaun smile
“I’m something you can never be.”

Rosie you think we’re so different
but we’re the same you and me
We both come from Africa
but live here in eternity
When we bleed
we both but sigh
and wait for lonesome privacy
before we let ourselves cry

Rosie led me through society’s gates
busting through if necessary
She showed me rows of orchard trees
We climbed together to reach the cherries
Dylan, Nietzsche, Wallace and the Knights
they followed far behind
Rosie never said a dull thing
and never stole my mind

The talks we had were of real life
True stories each single one
Personal tales of triumphant translations
and the pie eating contest fun
Nietzsche took notes and Dylan did coke
Wallace and the Knights chucked spears
Rosie with ballet-dance effort
assuaged each all of my fears

She said to me
“You’re not from my world
You don’t understand
these blacks these girls
neither not you
not any white man
though you may try
I don’t think you can
You’re welcome to follow
don’t expect to keep up

You’re allowed to watch
but you ain’t got the stuff
You belong with them
that are lagging behind
not leading with their hearts
but followin’ with their minds”

“My hero!” said I
my hero of mud
The source of creation
the source of these studs

Rosie you think we’re so different
but we’re the same you and me
We both come from Africa
but live here in eternity
When we bleed
we both but sigh
and wait for lonesome privacy
before we let ourselves cry

Labels: 2001, philosophy, Poetry, west coast