Friday, April 17, 2020

He Looks Busy for a Living


He Looks Busy for a Living

nevermind the permanent slump
the raspy ol’ fella in the bright red
sweatpants & gravy stained t-shirt
is the first to tell you that he looks
busy for a living – Earl of Oldtown
can afford the luxury for all those
golden years of the finger pickin’  
storytellin’ & vodka ginger sippin’
that first blue archtop guitar he got
straight outta the Sears Christmas
catalog was the instrument that led
him to write the kind of songs folks
would hang themselves over railings
& jump out of lazy row boats for a
closer listen, for a nip of devious wit
& hefty pragmatism only he could
deliver – all it took was a songbook
full of few chord songs with vivid
human tales to make you weep, to
make you laugh, to make you sing
nevermind the permanent slump
the croaky ol’ troubadour who
invited you onto his front porch
just to remind you that he is just
a regular Joe who sometimes sang
about things people don’t talk about
& when you reveal your accolades
he’ll just grin and say, “Aw shucks
& direct your attention to a cold
glass of lemonade on a wobbly rail

***

I was terribly sad when I saw the news online that John Prine had been hospitalized due to Covid-19. And then, hopeful, when they said he was out of the woods, what relief! And then, I woke to the news he’d succumbed. My heart goes out to his family, his friends, his fellow musicians, music lovers all over the world. I put a few words together. It’s taken this long but sometimes that’s how it goes.

These are surreal times. I was looking forward to babies being born that I now can’t snuggle any time soon, live shows I may not be able to attend. I miss my friends and my family and coworkers in close proximity. I miss my life. I’m grateful I can still do my job from home, stationed at the kitchen table with a pesky cat friend and a snoring Mama. I’ve been home a month now and as far as the news tells us, it’ll be weeks more. I’m lonely but appreciative. And, I pray every single day my loved ones stay safe and healthy. And, we don’t lose any other treasures like we lost in John Prine.

In propinquity,
Nic