2.2623 : 7/8/12 : Chalice

I must have been crazy
to reach for that golden chalice
I must have gone simple
dreaming visions of the palace
the only thing I got
out of the cup was misery
I pledged to draw it out
so now the consequence is plain to see
take the chalice from me
levitate it from my hand
I should have a right to change my mind
and you should understand
the tables are all rigged
this floor is just a play
and I won't love you anymore
unless you take the thing away

what

2.2622 : 7/7/12 : Discretion Advised

How about I fail
to relate a single word of note
how about I tell you
the little script I've learned by rote
don't worry
with me there's no discretion advised
my inner dialogue will
not be televised
do not adjust the set
just turn the bastard off
look straight into my eyes
as I bid you to turn and cough
and be discrete
carry your silent weight
they also serve
who mumble, shuffle, hesitate

what

2.2621 : 7/6/12 : Circular

What's the exit out
of the circular array
that got built by things
I didn't do
and failed to say
Straight up straight down
or break something
or stay the hell
inside this dull brass ring
If I don't speak of it
Wherefore shall I speak?
or when on earth
did I hit my sad little peak
the circular agenda
the circular retreat
hell still feels like a blessing
I can stay on my feet

what

2.2620 : 7/5/12 : Straight

Can't see straight
or think anymore
Kept thinking someone
would show me the door
but I can see my damn self out
before this untidy
retreat becomes a rout

what

2.2619 : 7/4/12 : Freedom

Free from or for what?
Free form or yes but
I don't believe in
any kind of freedom anymore
this being thing You built
has only got one door
sick of me
and everything I say
sick of being chained
to the song of every day
So pack it up you say
or cease complaining
Like hell it's just another
trap remaining
Independence
isn't all that it's cracked up
and I'm the ungrateful jerk
deserves to get smacked up
for putting down freedom
so many would dearly love
for clinging to this nebulous
perfect world I'm dreaming of

what

2.2618 : 7/3/12 : Soft Hammer

The soft hammer
heavily falls
telling me about
ladders and walls
I want solution
bust open wide
but it's clear I'm not
on that sort of ride
not dramatic
steady course
crazy or not
I got to ride this horse
So I'm undaunted
delving deep
as the soft hammer
smashes me into sleep

what

2.2617 : 7/2/12 : Stumble Start

Stumble at the start
not find much to take heart
beset all about by side tracks
weighed down by the old stacks
none of it can be allowed to stop me
none of you are man enough
to drop me

what

2.2616 : 7/1/12 : Mile Marker

Throw in a mile marker
Something to look back on
pray another year
doesn't feel like just a tack on
Pray to who knows what
pray to my humming doubt
it isn't what you think
but I sure
haven't got it figured out

what

2.2615 : 6/30/12 : Hobby

This train of thought feels like a hobby horse
this chain of ought always feeling off course
this getting drawn into the culture war scrums
logs getting sawn and here I'm twiddling my thumbs
I don't need a hobby, I need a fucking job
show me where to lobby, what kind of bomb to lob
nobody is fit to save this race of utter fools
no one has the bravery, no one has the tools
no one has my answer I am hung out on my own
beating every chance out of the hobby horse I own
seems I need a sharp turn and a different track
snap the strings of my harp throw it on the
smouldering stack

what

2.2614 : 6/29/12 : Labor

The labor is not ending
no matter how sick
I am of defending
what seems self-evidently
necessary
Look have you ever
seen a deader canary?
That canary is deceased
it has expired
it fell for the last time
off its wire
it's an ex-canary
it's passed right on
it's kicked the bucket
the canary is gone
but that is not the labor
and I'm wasting air
ironically the very
thing we had to repair

what

2.2613 : 6/28/12 : Wilderness

Enough the world is not
ending quickly
I'm just a tourist in
this wilderness
I've heard so many
apocalypse projections
hard not to think that what
will happen next is anybody's guess
new times will not
be like old times
no one can imagine
what's yet to come
if it doesn't come right to the wasteland
I'll sit and listen as the crickets hum

what

2.2612 : 6/27/12 : Daylight

Hey friend now
are you burning daylight
don't you know it's
time to be chopping wood
do your scratching late or early
by the stray light
hey we'd turn a light on for
You if we could
wake up son
it's time for carrying water
daydreams were for
another age
for the few who were not
led to the slaughter
you better be sure
before you waste another page

what

2.2611 : 6/26/12 : Flashlight

Writing by flashlight
wondering how long the batteries would last
and where we'd go when it got cold at night
how we couldn't bear thinking of the past
how each thing would have to contract
how nothing could speed anything up
some claim there'll be no second act
because we went and drained the cup

what

2.2610 : 6/25/12 : The Other Way

The worm was s'posed to
turn the other way
that whirlwind
didn't have a thing to say
I'm so so mad
haven't I felt bad
enough to satisfy you
and if it's alright by you
Could this turn out to be
just a fluke in a day?
and I'll promise to look
Straight at the other way
when they come asking after why
I'll say whatever I think upon the sly

what

2.2609 : 6/24/12 : Of Pain

The mass of pain
at least delivered me
from the strain
of the common inanity
hope here's nothing
really wrong down there
more proof as if I needed it
despite it all I still care

what

2.2608 : 6/23/12 : Strip

Have to tear a strip in the real
Expose a deeper blue
Here's what it's telling you:
Though you are more than you feel
Though this turning inward has appeal
you must get noble fast
learn to crave a king's repast
to jump on the next revolution of the wheel

And the strip torn down the sky
murmurs why why why
does the fool still try
to entertain each passer by

Hammered a crank into the earth
when it hit stone I stopped
soon as the plumb line dropped
And ran it round for all I was worth
I wasn't laughing but I felt a little mirth
I'd made such a strange machine
generated not one bean
Yet every dawn revealed another birth

what

2.2607 : 6/22/12 : Therapy

Do I need therapy
or a bolt of lightning
this new hole you're tearin' me
is not exciting
I want to, oh transcend
is that so demanding
Sir I'm a gentle man
please be unhanding
the moment for the mark
the truth for a lark
the grim ontology
it permits topology
neither what I wanted or what I ought
nothing in my hand I brought
If the therapy takes oh
will I give it up?
Not while I dine no
not while I sup

what

2.2606 : 6/21/12 : Pound

If I can't tell if I'm
caught up in the rapids
or becalmed in flat water
how'm I ever gonna
get to be a happy otter
Is my head really turned
so thoroughly around
How can I even choose
what path I pound
So much low fruit
I know I know I know
so many obvious dead ends
yet off I go
pound the same drum
isn't this beat familiar
It ain't making you stronger
hence I'm feared it's gonna kill ya

what

2.2605 : 6/20/12 : Tooth

The point as it turned
was a tooth pulled from the head
the warmth
that rushed
from the pills it was fed
not a night for
putting it together
the answer still seemed
not when but whether

what

2.2604 : 6/19/12 : Turning Point

Even so there
has to be a turning point
and if it isn't
this:
Still there has to be
if there's
to ever be
a second chance
at what I still miss

what

2.2603 : 6/18/12 : Minutes

Making book on minutes
not impressive
after six or seven years
am I afraid to lie down
fear that poison
might get forced into my ears
it has to be enough
but that don't make it
anything like plenty
don't ask me
where it's headed
if you must go ask who sent me

what

2.2602 : 6/17/12 : Scorpion

It's my nature
said the scorpion
is it a thing more
with anyone
I've made changes
that were surprising
but can't say what
drives each day's arising
is it reversal or
revision I seek
just to be kinder
and less bleak
to be a scorpion
that will not sting
free from my nature
free from everything

what

2.2601 : 6/16/12 : The Call

The fear that nothing will change
the fear that everything will
the fantasy of realism
every bitter pill
the bigger blank page
the harder the block
for those about to sell out
salutations: here's your rock
no matter how I twist it
I can't get the words to fit
silence gnaws unrelenting
maybe how we got this pit
the fear that everything will stay the same
the fear that everything will fall
the fear I cannot stop waiting
the fear I'll never hear the call

what

wind the works and let it run

Song 2.2600 brought things to the end of volume 2.14, The Record (Inheritance 1): In Memory: Richard Hamlow April 18, 1939 - November 23, 2011.

And along we go to volume 2.15, Black Book A.K.A. "Wait for the Call"

what

2.2600 : 6/15/12 : Day 1

Can I come up with a better way
to deal with how it always
is day one
Just want to be settled
wind the works
and let it run
Guess I could stop
complaining
try to find the evergreen
but I'll admit
I'd rather be swept up
by something
I have never seen

what

2.2599 : 6/14/12 : Walk Backwards

I'm going to walk backwards
take it step by step
until I find the pivot
where I got on this bad rep
nothing is reversible
but you can trace the track
I'm grinning like a politician
At long last a plan of attack
attack my mediocrity
attack my hesitance
attack my all or nothing bullshit
never made a lot of sense
take this back and take that back
I'm a hypocrite so what
while you scratch your chin on that
I dust it with an uppercut
retreat before you can protest
past every regret
how far can I walk back to
haven't hit it yet

what

2.2598 : 6/13/12 : Preliminary

Not since the preliminary
experience
were the words created
alongside
the quest for sustenance
What shall we speak of
when I've given up
and sold right out
the day to day
the disappointment
why not
a lot of it about

what

2.2597 : 6/12/12 : Stations

Keep pulling in at
the same stations
the rush to wrap
the hurried creations
the hammer of fatigue
falls swiftly
another bolt
now ain't that nifty
so many angles
spring to mind
no coin left to spend
no station left to find

what

2.2596 : 6/11/12 : Portals

Suddenly thinking of
the poison I've let them
pour in
into these precious portals
strapped to either side
of my head
I'm tired as hell
with it
it's all
illusions for us
hapless mortals
but I plan to
sleep through it
in an uncertain
unmade bed

what

2.2595 : 6/10/12 : Zones

More experiments
in zones
nothing comes through
on the phones
and it should all be
farther on
but it's not
and so proceeds
this marathon

what

2.2594 : 6/09/12 : Last

Can't drop my
obsession with
the last word
all I ever
said
all I ever heard
there are ends
they spill out
everywhere
somewhere some
nobody will care
but a word
won't change
a lick of fate
so say
so long
and shut the gate

what

2.2593 : 6/08/12 : Orders

I've got my orders
and I guess I better
get down to
so clever how you put it
So it's no excuse I
don't know what to do
just as I am
the skeptics
missed the reference
but I didn't
and it's a road I guess
still got my
no and yes
and that's the whole lot
i'n'it

what

2.2592 : 6/07/12 : The Garden of Your Mind

I should feel inspired
but I just feel sad you're gone
not enough allies
and everyday
demand another song
and i do not feel special
I do not feel unique
I'd rather stand down
and let a better man speak
And in the garden
of your mind
the weeds of thoughts
dark and unkind
help me from beyond
to stand up to the reckoning
and to believe somehow
the garden of my mind
is still a growing thing

what

2.2591 : 6/06/12 : Insanity

The problem with your
definition of insanity
is the crazy can't take
logical advice you see
So if you think me mad
to plod the same old way again
well I never said
I thought I wasn't crazy friend

what

2.2590 : 6/05/12 : Food of the Gods

Stick it in
your horn and blow it
grasp the nettle
by the horns
and throw it
onto the bonfire
of the bell curve sods
little suspecting
I'm being fed the food of the gods
I know it looks like
I'm destinationless, lost
the bloom is faded
then killed by a hard frost
however potent
it cannot return death to living
the food of the gods
so next time I'll be more forgiving
I can't imagine
what tomorrow brings at all
I can't be bothered
to resist the mundane thrall
the irony is
I'll be shocked with all the rest
the Food of the Gods
such a simple
trick has put me to the test

what

2.2589 : 6/04/12 : Avalon, CA (Mt. Metaphor 58/58)

Apple Island
Song of the sword
all that apocrypha
hush don't say another word
can't you just be quiet
and appreciate
names don't mean so much
in these barely united states
Still we might as well
might as well live for today
So come and watch the sunset
from Avalon, C.A.
they took Arthur there
to speed his healing
here I can pretend
I'm going to break through that ceiling
you have to keep believing
When it feels like such a joke
no more refuge ever
in strong drink and smoke
but in Avalon
for one perfect afternoon
I could really believe again
that my real ship was coming soon

(An imaginary journey: complete)

what

2.2588 : 6/03/12 : At Sea (Mt. Metaphor 57/58)

Port of San Diego
Drive to Dana Point
leave the car
we're at the new joint
Catalina express
ticket, one way
I'll let the breath out
when I hear them say
we're at sea
cast anchor and
left land behind
at last I'm
loose on the tides
at last I'm free in my mind
and it's almost
at its very final hour
still hoping for
a little extra power

what

2.2587 : 6/02/12 : San Diego (Mt. Metaphor 56/58)

The first seat of memory
I should have a lot to say
but it's ll so long and far past gone
and I don't want to talk about it
anyway
Don't talk about anything
San Diego
that picture of
me on a swing
the man behind the camera
still all about that
So long San Diego
I tip my hat
I just want to
get to the end
even though it always leads
to another bend
and mistakes that feel
almost as old as this place
as old as all these lines
etched in my face
I never been back
and I won't come again
he car's open baby
get in

what

2.2586 : 6/01/12 : Del Mar (Mt. Metaphor 55/58)

The call me
Del Mar
Man of the sea
when I was three years old
the water made me
they say I
vanished for a minute
then straight up
arose
and hence
the path I chose

what

2.2585 : 5/31/12 : Oceanside (Mt. Metaphor 54/58)

Can you believe
we been here like two weeks
and just now
finally get
down to the
Ocean side
Ain't no excuse
try to explain
but what's the use
get that top down
let's take the ride
11 long years
since we hit the Pacific
giver or take 3 day
to be specific
come big blue
carry me deep inside
I am here for you
down at Oceanside

what

2.2584 : 5/30/12 : Old Mission (Mt. Metaphor 53/58)

Still on the old mission
you'd think I thoroughly failed
oh how I struggled
oh how I failed
Oh Mission Viejo
you're so by the book
I could use some central planning
ought to stop and take a look
Ought to look for a lesson
in your suburbs and such
did I think a little planning
was a little too much
but if the old mission
must truly persist
I need a plan for any hope
of hope to exist

what

2.2583 : 5/29/12 : Happiest (Mt. Metaphor 52/58)

I'm taking you to
the happiest place on earth
remembering
32 years back
for what it's worth
Strange days
long years
and finally
this unlikely journey
imagined
and it gets me
to yearning
but we're not there
and no chance of going
excuse me
forgive me
my nostalgia is showing

what

2.2582 : 5/28/12 : Golden Fish (Mt. Metaphor 51/58)

Skip the obvious sites
in Fullerton
nobody home in old haunts
So I'll move along
do a slow drive by
where he saw that golden fish
that served his battered brain
up a twisted little dish

what

2.2581 : 5/27/12 : Glendora (Mt. Metaphor 50/58)

Are you a good witch
or a bad witch
Glendora I am here
and it's a bad sitch
sick of the trip
no destination
sick of reviewing
the situation
you seem like a nice town
nice place to visit
nice place to live
but I'm here to mix it
forgive me if I bomb
through like a gold rush
gotta put the hammer down
while I'm still flush

what

2.2580 : 5/26/12 : Arcadia (Mt. Metaphor 49/58)

I could have lost you
to Arcadia
herbivore paradise
hardly ever hear from ya
Everything seems so random
but feels so specific
last leg is drifting us
along to the Pacific

what

2.2579 : 5/25/12 : Santa Clarita (Mt. Metaphor 48/58)

Thank god for getting free
of thought heart and history
A long hard bomb
straight out of the mystery
Somewhere I never been
text me I'll meet ya
outside of El-Ay, Santa Clarita
Don't know a thing about it
what a relief
don't know a soul
Steal in like a thief
find me a room by a pool
and room service
let me write a quick line
how they don't deserve us
Let me write a postcard
wish you were here
Santa Clarita
my departure is near

what

2.2578 : 5/24/12 : 25 (Mt. Metaphor 47/58)

25 years 30
maybe more
sometimes it turns out
you really closed a door
and there's really no one left
to go back there for
Tracy California
just one time more
could look at the old place
where I spent many a day
could go look at a stone
read what it has to say
Tracy's just a place
where you came from
but you are gone away
and I don't have a thing
beyond that
left to say

what

2.2577 : 5/23/12 : Lodi (Mt. Metaphor 46/58)

Kids called us loadies
we called ourselves stoners
together just friends
together not loners
Lodi California
San Joaquin
gotta be crazy
choose this town to sing
Mispronounced thought
takes me back to my friends
Nearly another signal destination
not so far from there
the journey ends

what

2.2576 : 5/22/12 : Sacramento (Mt. Metaphor 45/58)

Meet me in Sacramento
plan some bloodless sedition
I cannot believe how long it's been
since I have had a mission
I can see why people go
for militaries or the cults
might be nice to get some orders
might be worth the little insults
Sacramento California
now we have no history
you're on the way and I am in you
but soon you'll be rid of me
I leave behind the information
in a secret library
just plug into the connection
I can't wait until you see.

what

2.2575 : 5/21/12 : Yuba (Mt. Metaphor 44/58)

Yuba City blues
standing with
rain in my shoes
nothing by the book
and still
firmly on the hook
there's still a
wicked piece to roll
and I am tired
down to my soul
and none can say
what freedom means
or what divides us
from machines

what

2.2574 : 5/20/12 : Willows (Mt. Metaphor 43/58)

Get among the willows
hide under the branches
it's a tent a cave a fort
we're cowboys on ranges, ranches
I'm in my old country now
not been back in so long
not yet seen my Pacific
where the feelings get so strong
for now I'm in the willows
playing make believe for fun
not my younger, older self
not exactly anyone

what

2.2573 : 5/19/12 : Red Bluff (Mt. Metaphor 42/58)

Charged right into
the catastrophe
with a red bluff
didn't have any other
information
So it had to
be enough
red handed
and yes
sometimes with a red face
I had a feeling
Red Bluff
would put me
in my place

what

2.2572 : 5/18/12 : Lassen (Mt. Metaphor 41/58)

I won't remember
and it won't mean much
You look around all over
but never more shall touch
problems are all left on this side
Lassen were you worth the ride
I'm not done yet
are we having fun yet?

what

2.2571 : 5/17/12 : Burney (Mt. Metaphor 40/58)

We didn't mean to
get off on a depression trip
and the demon of the perverse
how it made me quip
after you get rid of coincidence
and self-fulfilling prophecy
and shake off the road
ecstasy
you find yourself in Burney
Where you headed kid
for a change I know
I got a carved wooden plaque
which the volcano doth show
while my eyes got swimmy
and the roads got turney
I was thankful
to get off for a break
in Burney

what

2.2570 : 5/16/12 : Grants Pass to Mt. Shasta 2 (Mt. Metaphor 39/58)

Grants Pass
no buddy that was miles back
did you have any business
you know we had to
backtrack but
when we hit the town
you didn't say a word
at least not that
we heard
Mt. Shasta looms
You ever been
feels like I have to have been
but boy I got nothin'
Imma need another detour
through Lassen, boo
I got some
kind of dodgy recall
about that one too

what

2.2569 : 5/15/12 : Grants Pass to Mt. Shasta 1 (Mt. Metaphor 38/58)

Grants pass
are we in California yet
are you OK friend
you're looking rough again
I bet
you picked something
else up on the road
when we
get to Mt. Shasta
you better
try and feed that cold

what

2.2568 : 5/14/12 : Eagle Point (Mt. Metaphor 37/58)

I'd like to get some
of that Castaneda style
bullshit magic
shit on
dream real up at Eagle Point
Eagle Spirit yeah
get crazy
get hit on
I'm going to make
a fetish bag
and a special hat
going to mix up potion
how about that
and at the knot
of the root
I shall anoint
and take flight
in astral aspect
up at Eagle Point

what

2.2567 : 5/13/12 : Junction (Mt. Metaphor 36/58)

Connection connection
Looking to spread like an infection
partners of the insurrection
do not shirk
my fierce correction
Though change is never pretty
nor can be forged in some ditty
for beginning you must get thee
down and out in
Junction City
City of the future
that I dreamed of long
deserted metal skin
I sang it in a song
the dream I had the time so far gone
and if I said I didn't miss it
I wouldn't be all wrong
but I am one
for knowing when a thing is done
and there are others to relate
you're not the only one
Here in Junction City
you're going to find you need
your friends my son
and even so someday
on
connections you'll have none

what

2.2566 : 5/12/12 : Salem (Mt. Metaphor 35/58)

I'm sure they never burned
no witches in Salem
Oh Are
too busy climbing pretty
mountains
strumming on the
guitar
Oh Salem you
shall be my gateway
to a real path
up and out
and if you were left
underwhelmed
the next will
leave you with no doubt

what

2.2565 : 5/11/12 : Portland (Mt. Metaphor 34/58)

I know I'll see a true friend
in Portland town
I don't believe any of
the put downs
that hipster dig
is so played out stale
Portland I will come
and really tell your tale
I know my good friend
will give me good advice
and just this one time
I won't have to be told twice
They'll show us the sights
and we'll trade all sorts of yarns
see the whole Portland picture
from skyscrapers to barns

what

2.2564 : 5/10/12 : Woodland (Mt. Metaphor 33/58)

And let me go to ground
in the Woodland
half praying
not to rise again
oh but I will
and I'll toil
working in the city
dreaming of the
Woodland soil

what

2.2563 : 5/09/12 : Long View (Heights) (Mt. Metaphor 32/58)

Standing on some corner
up in Longview Heights
sing sorry but it's going to
be another one of
those kinds of nights
I should explain
rise above
be true
I should pull myself
together and
take the long view
but I'm not
I'm hurting
sad and tired
not tonight
for tonight boys
consider me retired

what

2.2562 : 5/08/12 : Centralia (Mt. Metaphor 31/58)

Centralia
I'm in the middle of something
for sure
I got to tell you
the last few
are about all I can endure
Your history looks
fascinating
storied picturesque
but I by god
must break the metaphor
and desperately
escape this desk

what

2.2561 : 5/07/12 : Olympia (Mt. Metaphor 30/58)

Great Olympia
might as well pray to to you
your mountain pantheon
could just ignore me too
if there is no interference
from a transcendent realm
what exactly's the argument
who exactly is at the healm
Olympia
Shine above me oh Mount Metaphor
help me deal with
my spell of falling apart
Look down as I am restored

what

2.2560 : 5/06/12 : City of Destiny (Mt. Metaphor 29/58)

City of destiny
end of the west
what is my destiny
here at the crest
feel like everything's twisting
like the narrows bridge
what's going to come apart first
maybe privilege
maybe persistence yeah
maybe today I give up
right here in Tacoma
throw down the cup
howl at the affliction
sit right down and sob
no destiny awaits
I'm not the one for this job

what

2.2559 : 5/05/12 : Federal Way (Mt. Metaphor 28/58)

I guess it's embarrassing how
little I knew
about the Federal Way
I've heard about
the arguments of course
but what they really were
I couldn't say
I should read up I guess
but the list is so long
and the days just fly
and as we get along
to Federal Way
I wonder how I ended
up that guy
how so much
passed me by
And I shouldn't be
thinking about such stuff
after such a long
and trying day
but it's just where my thoughts
took me
when I saw the sign
for Federal Way

what

2.2558 : 5/04/12 : Kent (Mt. Metaphor 27/58)

Anyway I guess we'd stay
in Kent for the night
I heard they have a nice lake
And if the whole trip
feels like a mistake
halfway well anyway
it's not as bad as
that time I rewrote the inferno
and won't be half
as long, I'm pretty sure, no

what

2.2557 : 5/03/12 : Seattle (Mt. Metaphor 26/58)

Seattle what could
anyone say about you
especially
an unknown alternative
musical prodigy
like me except
for the prodigy part
Seattle you're the best
Seattle you got heart
I've been up the Space Needle
long ago when I was little
Seattle my project
got a bit obtuse
Oh Seattle you know
what it's like
So what's the use?

what

2.2556 : 5/02/12 : Issaquah (Mt. Metaphor 25/58)

Back to reality
Issaquah
if you call memory
the real hurrah
a place I've been
though a long time gone
make the mountain passage
now I sing my song
I've got no sentiment
but I'll recall you
nonetheless
and those who know
will understand
the rest will have
to guess

what

2.2555 : 5/01/12 : Cle Elum, Roslyn (Mt. Metaphor 24/58)

Swift water or
clare de lune
Roslyn
as you like it
here's a little tune
you had your great fire
just like all great towns
I hope you're not
too dignified
to suffer us clowns
Cle Elum, Roslyn
swift water passing
when I leave dear Roslyn
I fear you'll be alas-ing

what

2.2554 : 4/30/12 : Moses (Mt. Metaphor 23/58)

Get up to Moses Lake
get with the Patriarchs
my choices this days well
aren't touching off too many sparks
maybe they got a red sea thing going
maybe thy feel like the promised land
give me a day when the wind is blowing
I'll ham it up stretch out my hand
Sure it's all real places
to me just names on maps
sometimes things don't quite measure up
Sometimes you make do with scraps

what

2.2553 : 4/29/12 : Ritzville (Mt. Metaphor 22/58)

Eschew Spokane
for the overnight
Drive on to Ritzville
Where are all the lights
I thought it would be fancier
I thought it would be
well, you know
it goes to show
what's in a name
or maybe it
just goes to show

what

2.2552 : 4/28/12 : Spokane (Mt. Metaphor 21/58)

I'm going to make a
pilgrimage
check out the old apartment
of the boys
you know the ones
who made good
I've admitted to myself
that I am jealous of success
well now I'm going
to pay my homage
as I should
maybe my epithet
will be that my thing foundered
by my refusal
of sufficiently
humble beginnings
yeah maybe it's just
not being good enough
look at this awful stuff
then check out
the old haunts of
the ones who are now
winning

what

2.2551 : 4/27/12 : Post Falls (Mt. Metaphor 20/58)

Post falls
it's a joke about theology see
lay some transactional
salvation on me
get me past these
post fall blues
you shoulda been
standing in my shoes
post falls
post expiations
world's saved right
so we deserve our vacations
that angel with
the flaming sword
was a mean trick anyway
another nasty chord
maybe I'll declare myself
to be prior to all falls
prior to all prophecy
all writing on all walls

what

2.2550 : 4/26/12 : Awl (Mt. Metaphor 19/58)

Stitch up my shoes
for the walking part
see the cobbler's awl
hidden in the heart
what's in a name
what's in a sharp spike
this is a tool
I just can't help but like
been a while here
since we've been down by a lake
take a couple of days
see what the wheel will take
we should get back here
maybe see it in fall
When the colors come up
in the heart of the awl

what

2.2549 : 4/25/12 : Lolo (Mt. Metaphor 18/58)

Run westward
out of Wye
and point straight
into the Lolo
I heard they did a burn
you know I want to
go go
find a wayside rest
a scenic point
of interest
see the way
into Lolo
See the start
and see the rest
see the forest
for the trees
See the trees
for sentinels
see it all
spread like a blanket
listen, Lolo
ring its bells

what

2.2548 : 4/24/12 : Fish Creek (Mt. Metaphor 17/58)

Not the castle
not the ancient road
not an empire island at all
middle of M.T.
parked at Fish Creek
cooling our heels in Whitehall
What kind of fish
you got in your creek
how much for a room for the night
it's real quiet
nobody much around
and I think I like Whitehall all right

what

2.2547 : 4/23/12 : Manhattan (Mt. Metaphor 16/58)

Broadway and Main
downtown Manhattan
waitin' for all the cultural
reference to flatten
then go and get a steak
up in Sir Scotts
check the trip so far
and ask you for your thoughts

what

2.2546 : 4/22/12 : Place Names (Mt. Metaphor 15/58)

Billings to Bozeman
can't neglect the big towns
now it seems
to just be writing
place names down
haven't really been anywhere
in so long
anything I might think I remember
is wrong
name the place
your circumstances
indulge me in the memory
of all my romances
Not getting that in Bozeman
not Billings neither
don't know the name
don't know the name
or place of where
or what could bring me either

what

2.2545 : 4/21/12 : Whip (Mt. Metaphor 14/58)

Well the king it seems would not release his grip
I said I know every trick in that sneaky whip
and while I prayed it wouldn't come to this at last
I guess time to talk truce is gone and past
and don't believe for a minute I think I've got the juice
to dance anything past you fast and loose
I know perfectly well how you have me pinned
and how you preened and strutted and grinned
but I shrug your whiplash cause my spirit's still free
and I'm laying my case at the feet of the Crow Agency
Dear sir do I detect a hint of a frown
did you forget you weren't the oldest game in town
the Agency was hear five hundred years before
you ever set foot upon this shore
and though I'm not of it's people at all
there's long been a deal for any as heed the call
to wear the colors and carry the staff
Out in the new world out there on its behalf
and while this detour was quite unplanned
rather than submit to your lash
I'd rather be a Crow Agency man

what

2.2544 : 4/20/12 : Lodge Grass (Mt. Metaphor 13/58)

Pull it off the road
outside of Lodge Grass
drop out on that grass
and just pray to nothing
and can't see up
and there's nothing but wind
and clouds are rushing

what

2.2543 : 4/19/12 : Big Horn (Mt. Metaphor 12/58)

I came out of the spell around Big Horn
alongside Little Goose Creek
I had a feeling I wouldn't see a big city
for at least about another week
I'm not in my element here
pretty sure my face will stand out
pardon is there a place a fellow could
get a bite on his way headed out
where you coming from
sure it's hard to say
from East to West for sure
but I badly lost my way
where you heading
well that secret is one I know
but what's on me now is
just exactly where do I go

what

2.2542 : 4/18/12 : Up, and It's the Way Out (Mt. Metaphor 11/58)

(Fairy King Detour 3/3)

How long, nobody knows
time freezes sometimes
sometimes flows
passed a thousand years
in one long night
and when I came up,
though I was still not right
I said I've placed this one thing
past all doubt
there's a way up
and it's the way out
sometimes you can't change anything
you're in the kingdom
of another king
seems there is nothing
but to wait on deliverance
for the way up to appear
for your one desperate chance

what

2.2541 : 4/17/12 : Iron Mountain (Mt. Metaphor 10/58)

(Fairy King Detour 2/3)

Clearly the drums won't halt
the machine won't stop
you'll not cease your battering
hold one drop
until you've broken me
on iron mountain
I didn't write the rules
I didn't make a deal
I just fell into this
is really how I feel
and my release will only come
on iron mountain
King o king
Whatever caught your eye
singled out to be
racked on the rocks so high
please wrap it up quick
finish it on iron mountain

what

2.2540 : 4/16/12 : The Machine (Mt. Metaphor 9/58)

(Fairy King Detour 1/3)

Bring my message to the fairy King
bring my letter and my signet ring
Say I'll make any deal he wants
not to go back to the machine
West of Story in the darkest night
my trip got detoured by the fairy light
and the next thing that I saw was
Screen within screen within screen
screens of circuits shifting gears
turn any corner another appears
hours on hours in that metal thicket
and the very worst thing about it
any exit you take you must doubt it
and the fairy King alone can write that ticket

what

2.2539 : 4/15/12 : Story (Mt. Metaphor 8/58)

I'd like to visit
a place called Story
I bet they'd have
a lot of tales to tell
we'd trade some yarns
check the map
a quick stop in Story
and a quick farewell

what

2.2538 : 4/14/12 : Middle of Nowhere (Mt. Metaphor 7/58)

90 West
let's find the middle
of nowhere
then find something to eat there
maybe watch the townies stare
maybe Pine Haven
pop two two two
hit the Anchor Bar
or the supper club
check out the lake view
does it all have to be
attractions or sights
I sure could use
a couple quiet nights
A nice place to visit
a nicer place to wave goodbye
I am going somewhere after all
you're just a twinkle in my eye

what

2.2537 : 4/13/12 : Lead (Mt. Metaphor 6/58)

Due to lack of forward planning
we will sped the night in Lead
Nice little town as it happens
Nice place to stop and rent a bed
In the morning do the mine stuff
Because the boy loves tales of gold
Maybe check out Deadwood
find a rest stop, park and behold:
Day 3 and the journey's
really starting there is West
on the boundaries of
recent recollection and my chest
feels a lightness unexpected
realize I hadn't even known the weight
had been there so long to be
lifted: then we left that state

what

2.2536 : 4/12/12 : Wounded Knee (Mt. Metaphor 5/58)

Drove Pine Ridge Reservation
never made it to see
the place the memorial
of Wounded Knee
never asked why it meant
so much to you
the whole thing gave me
a premonition we were through
these days even out there
I would guess
you could just map it
on the GPS
meet the other tourists
get your sideways looks
another box to tick off
in our sad little books

what

2.2535 : 4/11/12 : Variations (Mt. Metaphor 4/58)

Between the Badlands
and the Black Hills
Before we hit Rushmore
or Crazy Horse
we'll spend the night
in Box Elder
just to be contrary
and as well of course
as a small tribute
to the Variations
our fallen comrade
his early canon
someplace small and
unassuming
wish you were here
between the hills and canyons

what

2.2534 : 4/10/12 : Pierre (Mt. Metaphor 3/58)

I guess we must have
gone through Pierre
capital city
on our beginning of the end
tour
how little I remember
how time has fled
but I'll slow down time
for my dream instead
drive along the river
see the fort
hit the war memorials
call the thing a vacation
of some sort
send a half ironic postcard
says wish you were here
kill half a day
and get out of Pierre

what

2.2533 : 4/9/12 : Watertown (Mt. Metaphor 2/58)

South from the place of rest
Highway 7 West
off on the main drag
What memories shall I tag
C.K.: Trailways
Camp Release: Terrace Lawn
212: Dawson
Wide open now and I'm gone
we'll have a late breakfast
down Watertown way
the edge of ordinary
for a dozen years or more
but not today
Stop for some pancakes
a glance around the old haunt
back in the day
it seemed like quite a little jaunt
I hear there's a little place
that serves a little rocker set
maybe time for another electric
we'll stop and see what we can get

what

2.2532 : 4/8/12 : Montevideo City Limits (Mt. Metaphor 1/58)

Mount Metaphor: An imaginary journey in 58 destinations.

Left so many times
and always East
well almost always
pedaling my bike
to see my friend
the gravel backways
or going west with
one of them I
thought was the one
can't Imagine why now
or going west
all five of us
the four left
would just fly now
Montevideo
city limits goodbye
leave you again little town
I'll always be coming back now
now that it is
where we laid him down

what

2.2531 : 4/7/12 : Underway

It's still exciting
to get the mission
underway
I am no child
but I too am new
with each new day
the feeling
in the morning
in the dim dawn light
the feeling
mountain roads at dusk
and dozing off
and into night

what

2.2530 : 4/6/12 : After Enlightenment

Isn't this the way it's s'posed
to look after enlightenment
chopping and carrying
and everything the same
and still I dream
of getting everyone under the big tent
even though attempts
have been so lame
once you start to pull at
the loose threads of grand enlightenment
the dissolution comes so very fast
once you start to wonder
were you called or were you spent
there goes a hundred years
just sifting through the past

what

2.2529 : 4/5/12 : End Up

Unable
to keep my end up
I bow my head
and pass the cup
I'm tired of saying
later, later
but life comes first
and my need is greater

what

2.2528 : 4/4/12 : Every Minute

Every minute
I forget my zen
Charlie's squatting in the bush
What happens then?
We gotta blow the tunnels
gotta flush the hills
I've got a stash of minutes men
and three dollar bills
I've got a stash of sentiments
and bitter pills
I push the button
and the minute stops
the dance of veils
all the acute drops
how will I ever learn
to be for every minute
to be quite present
to be there and to be in it

what

2.2527 : 4/3/12 : Indulgences

Oh patron saint
of all indulgences
I pray please
let me get away
with this
and if not
let me get a
second chance
to toe my line
and step into this dance

what

2.2526 : 4/2/12 : Ascend

Going to abscond
and scarper now
sick to my gut
and my troubled brow
but hell with it
show the boy some fun
knowing at last
I'm just like anyone
nothing's going to crawl
into my outstretched palm
consider this
my lament my psalm
then close the book
and think not a whit more
of all that's owning
of what's in store

what

2.2525 : 4/1/12 : More Fool

More fool I that I
allow this brooding over
a time that is not and will never be
to usurp the moments that now never
will come again to run away with me
but when there is only this
how it circles in on its own eye
and seeing but itself now
can the thing not wind in in tight and die
and so it is the ancients
as we call them questioned change
how can it be that anything
that's packed so tight can
rearrange
and I have never cracked their case
their riddle still has me stumped
And I could only hope it was not
Sisyphus' hill I humped

what