Thanks To Dylan

Poet man, storyteller the music you wrote 

Never quite turned me on 

But you kept it comin' as a train movin' 'long

Somehow the words you said 

Found a way inside my head 

Like the lyrics you sung from "Blowin' in the wind"

About the sorrows of the ordinary man 

In the same vein just like Lennon and Melloncamp did

How in tomorrows everybody's may be broken 

But the spirit keeps comin' back again and again

The life tales told run so far as fast and as deep as water

Forever embodied in white, red and the blues

Of the inward and outer wars

What can one man do

I too grew up in the middle of unrest 

A baby born of the sixties

A boy in the seventies 

North of corn field's Midwest

Watched a father; veteran of Vietnam struggle 

Didn't know I was watching him slowly dying all the while 

He was trying to pull himself up and survive

And my dear poor Catholic mother with five children 

One night lights went out; she gave up, failing life's great test

The soul sometimes feels 

Forgets to tell the mind and heart

And you keep, your fingers moving from cord to cord 

As your voice trembles 

Touches grace, before falling apart

The irony of this great experiment

Is naivety never gives back 

Merely takes and takes

And somewhere, down inside, you play 

Heartstrings of inspiration to a once sidelined child

Attempts to also write hope in poems and never hate

Alleviation to the day by day aches of our mistakes

So into the wee hour stillness

I embrace the talking pen and 

"Like a rolling stone" rolls over radio

I have to say Dylan thanks

For helping a boy find himself 

In dysfunction among a broken home

This eldest son now grows 

Has five younger siblings to raise

And mother's safe, "knockin' on heaven's door"

While daddy's a "hurricane" always working late, 

But thats okay because now I know 

I'm never alone, I've found "shelter from the storm"

 

Reviews

[Mikayla_Stagg]

This is really nice. You have beautiful talent!

[Matching Socks]

Great songwriter for sure, one of the best poets-lyricists.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i like how you mixed in his lyrics....i am from the sixties and dylan is one of my heroes....for his songwriting, his poetry...

my favorite song of his is "positively 4th street"

"i wish that for just one time, you could stand inside my shoes, and just for that one moment i could be you---yeah i wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes, you'd know what a drag it is to see you"

he reflected our generation back to us, so well...he and Paul Simon...

great poem, and so heartfelt how the speaker conveys how dylan helped "a boy find himself/ in dysfunction among a broken home"

excellent stuff here, michael.

[Michael G. Smith]

Thanks Jacob. Music has always been a big part of my life. I've been a fan of dylan music per say but did feel something in ideas about life. I grew more listening to Johnny Cougar which lead me back to Dylan who was a big influence on him and a lot of other artist such as Bruce Springsteen. Dylan had a talent for telling a story about the suffering of the ordinary man. Music has always helped me to say in touch with my spirit inside the real me past the carnal flesh.

[Rita L. Sev]

This is a great tribute to a tremendously talented poet. I still listen to Dylan and find myself nodding my head at his lyrics... personal favorite - Forever Young. :) Great job, Mike!

[A. Amos]

Knockin' on the heaven's door...

This was brilliant and I truly enjoyed the read.

[Michael G. Smith]

My favorite song by Dyan. Thanks Amos.

[A. Amos]

Well was listening after your poem, the GNR version...you're most welcome!

[Michael G. Smith]

My favorite version is by the 80'S metal band Heaven.

[Avinash]

This is brilliant work of pen my friend. In songs and words we find the way ahead when we have no place to go. Must tell this is your signature style and I had missed it for quite sometime. Thanks for penning it and sharing.

[Michael G. Smith]

It's really weird Avinash, I sat down one the bed last night after a hard days work opened my notebook app and the verse just flowed out of me like water. I enjoy when God makes me a vessel.

[Fran Marie]

Love Bob Dylan...he's one of kind, gave inspiration to so many,.great write here

[Michael G. Smith]

Yeah, he had a talent for helping us understand the ordinary man, thanks for the compliment.