In Dead Earnest

[beebee 1]

i was listening to an old arlo guthrie and pete seeger album, precious friend, and ran across this lovely little jewel of a poem, written by lee hays (remember "the weavers"?)

 

in dead earnest

by lee hays

 

if i should die before i wake,

all my bone and sinew take.

put me in the compost pile

to decompose a little while.

 

worms, water, sun will have their way,

returning me to common clay.

all that i am will feed the trees

and little fishes in the seas.

 

when radishes and corn you munch,

you may be having me for lunch.

and then excrete me with a grin,

chortling, "there goes lee again"

[Godot 149]

I'd heard about the two maggots fighting in dead Earnest. But not this.

[Banshees Scream 110]

When i'm gone

Many many years from today

You'll sit back and remember the times when

I was knocking at your door to play

You'll remember the nights we spent among the stars

Running around in the dark

When summer was just in bloom

The first time we spoke at the park

Remember all the rhymes i'd write you

They were my grades in school

I'd always see you pass in the hallway

You'd pretend you never saw me but I ain't no fool

I remember every day i'd look for you standing on the street

There was nobody else I wanted to see

I'd find you in the same place

Just stairing at me

I'm coming to tears

Thinking about the times we would fight

I remember when we'd go to bed

I wasn't allowed to shut out the light

Our life was pleasure

There was no need for pain

Even though we were both a little crazy

Both a little insane

Well i'm young now

Me and my girl aren't gonna die

So wipe your tears and put on a smile

Because there's no reason to cry

[Tempus Fugit 214]

In Dead Earnest,

 

Well it's better than being In Dead Ernest, except if you're a gay necrophiliac of course.

[maryportfuncity 10,639]

Arlo Guthrie - son of a man who died of Huntington's Corea - and Pete Seeger - very ancient folk singer - both bucking the odds in the company of those featured on the other threads.

[Canadian Paul 97]

Arlo Guthrie - son of a man who died of Huntington's Corea - and Pete Seeger - very ancient folk singer - both bucking the odds in the company of those featured on the other threads.

 

I brought up Pete Seeger here, with mixed reaction.

[beebee 1]

Arlo Guthrie - son of a man who died of Huntington's Corea - and Pete Seeger - very ancient folk singer - both bucking the odds in the company of those featured on the other threads.

 

 

arlo looked pretty pert last year. and, shall we say, well fed. he's good for another decade or two, i would bet.

 

haven't heard anything about pete in years. since my dad was active with the union And played the banjo, i know just about everything he did.

 

too bad my musical abilitiy, on a scale from 1 to 10, is about -5.