listen to the beautiful dead sing.

listen to the beautiful dead sing.

 

that jukebox is an aftermath psalmist

with more stories to tell

than a thousand history books.

 

each voice cries out for connection,

each instrument yelps and thumps

visceral familiarity: a purely human howl.

 

they were all fallible beasts with bad habits

and kinks and crooked teeth and scars

on skin and deep-rooted mental pain

like us.

 

they sinned like we sin; broke as we will break.

but, the brilliant moments still shine

like starlight and still shock like scar-fright.

 

the feeling still rides from the soles

to the scalp like electrical spirits,

causing the living to move; to be free.

 

and, when she wears that Calypso red dress,

and dances to the voices of ages

with rubber joints and an alligator smile,

 

I say a little prayer. thank God for rock & roll.

because those beautiful dead keep us fed and upright

when gospel seems to lie, and philosophy can’t

look us directly in the eyes, and politics lurch to strike

us down.

 

this is how Heaven and Hell resound.

 

this is our church.

these are our hymns.

she is my salvation tonight.

 

tomorrow the living may make more sense.

until then, we’ll dance with the past,

and make love like antique teenagers.

 

selah!

boo-bop-shu-wadda-bing!

hey-ho! let’s go!

oi! oi! oi!

amen!

Reviews

[freelancejouster]

as always, or as i'm used to, your words are wonderful and strong and sprinkled with a little bit of what's either pixie dust or dandruff. i especially like the phrase "rubber joints and an alligator smile." i don't know if the heaven and hell bit is as fluid as it could be, like it seems to not quite have the feel that the rest does. the ending is wonderful, just a little bit on nonsense scat to pull it all together.

on another note. aye. you. pull through :)

[_mal]

This is so clever

[MuSe Ampoule]

Bury me deep in death and make me remember what it is to live again. Where death is not an option, one night stands work...at least momentarily.

Great one here! I love the mix of degradation/church/love/life and rock and roll of course. And the Scat at the end, perfectly fitting!

"and make love like antique teenagers." brilliant!

[Rene Velez]

nice write, inspiring and insightful...

[Robin]

and the wind cries , Mary ...

[Lily Mae]

"tomorrow the living will may make more sense.
until then, we’ll dance with the past,
and make love like antique teenagers."

I love this as a whole and yet this part made me smile.. love it...x

[Larry Dyson]

sounding it out ..audible transgression.."they sinned like we sin; broke as we will break.

but, the brilliant moments still shine

like starlight and still shock like scar-fright."