Sing and dance till the end

Old poem written when I was young and questions all things. I learn we are in-charge of our life. Best walk the good road. Written in 1981.

                       
              Sing and dance till the end

The rain is pouring down.
The dusk of the day had passed and gone.
I tossed the empty tequila bottle inside a open trashcan.
Austin, Texas is quiet.
I sat and waited for the coffee shops to open.
Better to be wet then drive drunk to Fort Hood..

I looked at the sky.
Prayed to God for answers to my questions.
The rain fell upon my face.
I saw a phone.

I went to the phone.
I dialed  the operator.
A young woman answered.
I told her "I wanted to speak to God?
I need the phone number to God?'"

The operator paused a second.
Spoke without much thought.
"God is unlisted. Only a friend can give God a call."

I told her.
"My call is important. I must hear his voice.
I must know he gives a damn."

The Operator spoke strongly.
" God phone number is unlisted. Give him a prayer.
He may be listening."

I told her.
" I prayed. He didn't listen.
I think he has forgotten us. I think he has left us."

The Operator with a stern voice .
"Maybe God is busy. You may get lucky. Keep praying."

I heard a clink.
The line is silence.
I walked the quiet streets of Austin in the rain.
A ringing sound appears in my head.
The sound whispered  sounds and voices.
"God is busy. He is drinking tequila with the Angels in Mexico.
He is saying it is too late for man.
Maybe it is a good day to die is singing in my head."
 
I went to downtown Austin.
I like the lights of the city.
Create a strange warmth.

I like the night people.
Few clean people roamed late at night.
You can buy love for a time. You can buy love for the night.

So many stories.
People confused and lost roaming the destine streets.
I asked a lone man standing in the darkness of a corner.
"Did he know the phone number to God?"

He told me.
"Unlisted, only for the pure and the innocent to know."
He give me a big smile. He whispered. "I heard he drinking tequila with
the Angels in Monterrey, Mexico. He is waiting for the end."
The man took my hand. With fear in his eyes he told me.
"A fine day to die."

I leave the man.
He reached in his coat and gave me a toast with his cheap whiskey.
He yelled at me.
"Don't look for God. You will find him and be disappointed."

I become more confused by the second.
I sat in the park by the Austin river.
The bright light of the city is surrounding me.
I stood on the park bench and I yelled.
"God, do you care?"

I looked down.
A  young woman is watching me.
She was young and her eyes were old.
She asked could she  sit with me.

I asked her.  "Why was she here with me."
She answered. "I came to Austin to find beauty and a better place.
I found only a dirty and a cold world. I see you have reach your end too.
Let sit together."

I brought her close to me on the bench. I held her tight. Her soft sad eyes
looked into my eyes. She told me. " You remind me of a lost love. He got
lost in the booze and drugs. He is gone now."

I looked into her brown eyes. I asked her." Does she know the phone number to God?
She looked at the ground and brought her face close to my face. She told me.
"God has left us a long time ago.  Man's deeds were too much for him. He killed off the sea and the sky. Man's killed his brothers without thought. He twisted-up religion to allow killing. He is in Mexico with the Angels. He is saying it is a good day to die."

I brought the young woman closer.
I felt the warmth of her body near. Her soft hands in my hands bring a spark
of hope for a second. Then I become cold again.

I closed my eyes.
I saw a number. I got up and told her. "I know God's phone number."

She smiled.
A smile of pity. She said nothing as I ran for then phone. I dialed the number.
The phone rings and a operator voice appeared.
"I'm sorry the line has been disconnected.  God has took a trip.
Don't leave no messages. He is in Monterrey, Mexico drinking
tequila at the Holiday Inn waiting for the end of time."
 
I fell down.
The phone is hanging. I looked up.
The young woman reached her hands out to me. Pulled me into her arms.
She caressed my face with tender and soft hands.

She told me. "I'm sorry you didn't get hold of God. I tried to find God many times.
I saw what you saw. I felt what you yearn for. God is busy. He is drinking tequila with the Angels at the Holiday Inn in Monterrey waiting for the end."

She kissed my hands and my lips. Told me. "I know I'm ugly with disappointment.
You are not so pretty any more. Let's trick God and the Devil. Let's sing and dance till the end of time. Let's pray the tequila run out and God will taste the bitterness of this world."

I returned the kiss to her. Told her. "Today we will drink and dance. Don't look like a good day to die today. The Devil has won the battle. We will celebrate this day. Sing and dance till the end. We will laugh and try to find some pleasure."

My brown eyes girl gave me a smile. I heard her laughter for the first time. We walked in the dawn of  Austin morning.

We stop by the Austin River. She told me. "I will walk into hell or heaven with my arms wide open. Come with me my sad man. Let's dance and sing till the end."

Two strangers walked into the city hand in hand. Sometime little hope is better then none.

                                  Coyote
                               1981
 

Author's Note

This was a bad time in a life. Young and trying to understand life. I have 15 books of poetry of questions during this time. Most of the question are still not answered. Any error. Please help.

Reviews

[Becky C Strukamp]

This poem speaks so loud and clear of how one may feel when disappointments, tragedies and such enter our life and we wonder why, why does God let this happen? Why why why. When our lives continue to spiral downward, we sometimes do think God is not listening, You penned this beautifully. I love the way you are trying to get God's number to no avail, you dont give up your journey, you continue, A truely amazing poem. I Loved it. Your imagery again, so vidid, lurring us along with you. Magnificent write.

[Von Alis]

I love this poem. It really speaks to me, I'm going through a time a lot like this, only nowadays God seems to be pressing ignore. Thank you so much for sharing this, its just perfect!

[...]

God is unlisted. Only a friend can give God a call." Yes I so loved this part,
This is such a intriguing write and pondering, I really liked this Coyote

[Eric Cox]

Excellent write. Your sadness at not knowing the mysteries in life, why it is so cold, why God isn't closer is a shared sadness that can lead to loss of hope as it did in your poem, I love the ending to your poem. Nicely done.

[Manda]

this poem left me speechless. full of power and questioning. god brings people to this earth and then leaves them with a snap of a finger, well it feels as though he has left, but truth is he hasnt. god is its on world, and person. he knows what we do not. this piece was beyond anything i have read! beautiful! creative! unique!

well done!
manda

[Gypsy Dreamer]

Whoa Coyote! Awesome write! I usually lose interest in long poems on the computer because my eyes get really tired but this one kept my interest so I had to pause a second then go back to it! I can see how this poem reflects an uncertainty of yourself, your life, your beliefs. It's an art to be able to be able to describe it the way you have here.

[DreyaArt]

this is long, very long, a hard read, and quite depressing. thank you for writing.

[November Gold]

So much feeling in this, so much emotion is evoked in me as i read it. SO many questions and so few answers to the riddles of life. A very good piece Coyote, very good

[Kamran]

I felt as if with this poem, you have signed a treaty to begin a war. It was a very touching poem, and I loved the way I felt. I felt as if trying to make peace was causing an even greater problem. Then, when all else fails, peace comes to you. It reminded me of an interesting quote. "A butterfly can not be caught, only waited for. It lands upon what seems to be as perfect as it is." The elderly woman was the butterfly, in search of peace, and finding only what seemed as peaceful as it was. Beautiful write.

[HorrorMaster]

very good story

[Parachutes and Sunshine]

I don't know why, but when I pictured this poem in my mind, I pictured it as like a movie. haha, I don't know why. Maybe more of a music video? I'm not quite sure. The point being, this was very easy to imagine. So claps to that!