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