Nobody's Passion Lasts Forever

 

Seems I've always scoffed at relationships without flames. Here's to the ones who knew better. There's only one ending and it's not happy. 

Get to know yourself and offer your unfiltered love to everybody you meet. 

That's all. Really.

 

Count The Days

 

I knew that when the medicine ran out, it would be over. She would have no refills. Sure enough. The pain was obvious and she was ready to go. This time of year brings those memories and they mingle and mix with the joyous holiday festivities. 

The good time memories take the edge off. She was my girl.

Sunday School Lessons

 

Seems that I paid more attention in Sunday school than I thought. Guess I was listening more closely than I knew to all of those rhythm and blues records. I never forgot a single promise that I made in the throes of love, either.

These are good times for getting better at forgetting.

Well Enough, I Suppose

 

Wasn't it Stewart Brand who wrote, "We are as gods and might as well get good at it"? That was in another century. 

Seems to me that technology has outpaced humanity.

The problem, as I see it, is that the technology is in the hands of anyone who can afford it. 

As long as I'm quoting heroes, let's go way back to President Eisenhower:

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist."

                       On my bad days, I blame biology. On my good days I don't think about it at all. 

Give us peace on earth and end this dreadful, dreadful war.

Acts, Natural and Unnatural

 

Over the years I seem to have given up most everything that once took up my time as well as my energy. I don't write much. Not sure if that's because I don't play much or record much or, maybe, because it's all been written.

I gave up facebook, but to be honest, facebook gave me up first. Same with romance.

My big discovery is that free time is amplified and augmented by the disappearance of drama. Oh, I've got climate change and the pandemic and supply chain issues to face, but that's chicken feed compared to the rigors of a social life.

Meanwhile, I'm reading books that have piled up on the bedside table for years. Oh, and the memories- lord, I have memories.

Lessons Learned

Do you need a license to be a philosopher? I never had to pass any kind of exam to call myself a musician.  Oh, I joined a union once. It disappeared after a few years. I signed up for various organizations that never wanted anything to do with me, other than annual dues. I only told folks that I was a musician to keep from claiming that I was a "writer" or a "poet." That really sounds pretentious.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure that I'm a philosopher. That sounds so much better than "layabout" or "retired" or "former musician."

Now, you may want to be judicious about taking advice from an unlicensed philosopher. I understand. Nevertheless, here's what I offer:

Love first. Ask questions later.

 

Spend It All On You

 

Life is easiest for me when I'm out of fashion. I'm almost always out of fashion. Oh, I try. I just don't try very hard.

I remember a photo session in New York. I was the only guy in the band without a Nehru jacket. The others talked me into borrowing one from a girl who had come to the shoot. To this day I regret having caved.

By the time that the photo ran in Billboard, I had quit the group. They painted me out of the shot.

You Talkin' To Me?

If you're like me, you spend most of your waking hours waiting for the next chapter. 

"As soon as I grow up."

"As soon as I get married."

"As soon as I'm divorced."

"When I finish this record."

"Once this haircut grows out."

You know, the important stuff. Most of the rest of my time I spend looking back. Usually with regret. At least I never grew up. I played rock'n'roll.

One day, out of the blue, you realize that you're on the last chapter. 

When I finally made it to the last bit of Look Homeward, Angel, I slowed down. I remember only reading a page or two and putting it down. Finally I would only read one or two paragraphs before going to bed, knowing that there was an ending that Thomas Wolfe had put there that I couldn't get around.

The news comes on and I'm encouraged by the fact that the world leaders are older than I am. Of course it's obvious that they've been on the last chapter for some time.

At some point you're just hoping for a happy ending.

 

Hope Above All

 

Always thought it took a long time to become an old man. Nope.

The masses will live on crumbs and cheer on the elite as long as hope remains in the mix. Once greed takes the crumbs off the table, say "hello" to Mr. Revolution. Are we there? How would I know?

These are the darkest days that I can remember. The assassinations of the Kennedys and Dr. King are the only memories that hold a blown-out candle to the events on the evening news. Still, hope remains the star in my show. 

On my little scorecard, love still dukes it out with the dark side. I'm gonna have to love a little harder.

Give us peace on earth and end this dreadful, dreadful war.

Is This The End?

As I sadly watch a minority navigate history, I have to ask myself if, maybe, this is the end. For humanity anyway. The concept of anti-science intrigues me. I mean I'm against gravity, what it does to my jowls and pecs daily. Ignoring it, denying it, doesn't vanquish it. 

For so long I fretted and worried about the end of rock'n'roll. When the end came, it came with a whimper. Nothing lasts forever.

Now, I cut the cord to cable so that I don't sit and watch California burn and Europe wash away during most of my waking hours while idiots in suits and ties strut around D.C. 

For now, I'm alive and I'm also witness to the majesty of love and nature every day. With memories behind me I watch miracles and magic unfold and remind myself of just how lucky I have been to have lived and loved in this world.

 

Razorblades and Rainbows

 

We've muddled through for this long, we might as well muddle through to the end. If life is the grand prize, and if love is life's manifestation, I'm a winner. I suspect you're a winner, too. Being lucky is knowing you're lucky.

Hold my beer.

Sweet Dreams, Aunt Jo

I've been on this earth for more than twenty seven thousand days. This is the first one without sharing life with my Aunt Jo. She was at the hospital in Birmingham the night that I was born. She sat through New Year's eve in the emergency room of the same hospital with me as 1965 turned to 1966. She certainly knew that I had not "run into a door" that broke my nose. She didn't ask.

If I am to pay homage to her, should I focus on her kindness, her cooking, her sense of humor? I think I will have to go with her generosity. My mom, her younger sister, always joked that Aunt Jo was tight- with herself. She couldn't do enough for everyone else. My car, twenty years old and probably the last one I'll ever own, is the last car that Aunt Jo drove. She essentially gave it to me when she knew that she had to give up driving.

Yeah, she loved sharing anything that she had and that is admirable. The generosity that kept her on a heavenly pedestal was with her love and her spirit. She loved everybody and she was quick to tell them.

With so many grand influences in my life, Aunt Jo has a special place at the pinnacle. Her stories shaped the way for mine. She had lunch at the white house with Eleanor Roosevelt. Details that she was one of a group of schoolgirls celebrating a spelling bee victory don't cloud the event. Reminds me of my stories with Elvis. Big Daddy. Jimi.

She didn't quite make one hundred and five.

I love you. Aunt Jo would want me to tell you that.

I'll have to let you know how life is without her.

Behavior Problems

 

What passes as self deprecation is merely my refusal to take myself seriously. Oh, I don't take anyone else very seriously, either. We're all just along for the ride. I've learned to love everybody. I've managed that by staying away from some folks.

Make it up as you go. Only sing the songs that you make up. That way, it's always right.

It finally occurs to me that Elvis Presley was really only "Elvis" for 1955 and most of '56. Take what you can get. Be generous, specially with your love. Kindness is easy, even for the socially awkward.

Tag Teams and Moonbeams

 

Never one to let reality disrupt my life, I've decided to fix myself. Reluctantly, I must disclose your role in this. Without sufficient funds for therapy on a regular basis, I'm gonna have to babble here. Of course, if you're paying attention, you're fully aware that I've been doing that for ten years now. 

Blogs were already out of fashion when I started. Perfect.

Oh, I considered a  podcast four or five years ago. Laziness half-heartedly reared its head and convinced me to reconsider.

Seems that I have defeated self-pity, denied romance and defied social awkwardness. I'm struggling with war, poverty, racism and income inequality. I've always dreamed big. I still want to save the world, but I worry that time is running out. My time.

I sleep well knowing that Greta Thunberg is doing the work.

I'll be back.

Give us peace on earth and end this dreadful, dreadful war.

Blame Me

What is the statute of limitations for guilt? Anybody know? Oh, I haven't run out of bad intentions. It's just that opportunity seldom knocks these days. If I should end up with a tombstone, may I suggest,

"Money in the bank

Lust in his heart"💜

 

Shiny Hair

Here's hoping that you live long enough to blush about most of your past. Wisdom seems to be based, mostly, on acceptance of shortcomings. Sometimes I have trouble trying to tell if an open heart comes from an open mind or vice versa.

I don't know much and I used to know less.

Give us peace on earth and end this dreadful, dreadful war.

 

Undefeated

 

Life never really got the best of me. Oh, I've been down for a count of eight or maybe even nine, but somehow, I've always been up for the bell and the round. To what do I attribute my staying power? Good luck and good genes.

Assured of a long life, I've had more than I ever dreamed.

If I had to narrow down the elements of my grand fortune I would have to say that the kindness and love that greeted me from the beginning are at the tippy top. In fact, second place doesn't much matter.

When Hula Girls Ruled the Planet

 

Torn between keeping my good fortune a secret and risking jinxing it all by boasting, I have decided to spill the beans. I was born lucky. Really lucky. I am that pin ball that comes right down the center alley, without a single encounter with a flipper, and drops straight into the million point hole.

Bells ring. Lights flash.

Oh, it was never a game of skill with me. One must work to acquire skills. My excuse has always been that work might affect my authenticity. Raise your hand if you can see right through that!

There are days when I'm not sure if I have managed to stay off all gods' radars, avoiding lightning strikes and infestations, or if, in fact, I have contrived a scheme to always end up at the front of the line when the stuff gets handed out.

Before you ask, yes, I will be happy to share my great fortune with you.

Financial Times

My advice to whippersnappers is simple- start your own currency scam. The old guard have the traditional wealth, including the yachts, the real estate and the financial markets. The new billionaires have thrown in with the crypto-currency bunch. They're betting on water, net art, batteries and money that isn't really there.

The secret is that none of it is there.

I have personally witnessed folks doing unspeakable things for beads. Yeah, beads.

The real Americans gave away Manhattan Island for the things, remember?

They knew that you don't own the land. That's ridiculous.

If you're going for the intangibles, go with love. If you're holding out for something that you can own and wear and show off, stick with beads.

Have I ever steered you wrong?

 

The Universe Tugs

Big day here. I was able to talk to Aunt Jo on the phone for a few precious minutes. She'll be turning one hundred and five in a few months. Did I tell you that she had lunch with Eleanore Roosevelt at the white house? 

In other news, I've had Lola staying with me this week. She's a fine, sweet dog with no ambition and a good sense of humor. She won't really be led on a leash. I have to plan a route in advance and gently pull her in the direction that gets us where we need to go and gets us back home again.

Somewhere around mid-walk this afternoon, it occurred to me that the universe treats me the same way. I've never taken orders well. The cosmos has to trick me into thinking that everything's my own idea. Seems to have worked up to now.

Give us peace on earth and end this dreadful, dreadful war.

 

What If They Find Us Here?

 

Life's full of little lessons that I seem to learn over and over. There are only a couple of them that seem to matter much in the big picture. I seem to have spent the better part of a lifetime desperate for approval while working hard avoiding any measure of conformity. Assuring disapproval, you see.

Of course I'm far too lazy to check on a definition of eccentric, but I'll bet this fits in there somewhere. Almost a curmudgeon, I'm kept out of the club because I love almost everybody.

When I consider the time and effort that I have put into some vague notion of staying true to myself, I realize that I could have amounted to something by now. Cured something, earned something, won something, discovered something.

Lazy or stubborn?

Sticks and stones, buddy, sticks and stones.

When Evolution Fails Us

Oh, it's not so much that I'm disappointed with mankind... wait, yes, it is.

 

 

Line Up, Anarchists

 

As a longtime slow learner, it has taken me this long to get here. These days I'm too busy living to do much of anything else. I write but I don't finish anything. I sing and, when I'm lucky, the birds sing with me. I ran out of stuff to want a long time ago and never suffered much from too much ambition.

Somehow I'm optimistic. I believe there are more good folks than bad.

Give us peace on earth and end this dreadful, dreadful war.

Short Skirts, Short Songs, Short Buses

 

Looking back, I shoulda' done it all backwards. In high heels. 

If I've learned anything in a long life, and that one is open to debate, it is that nothing's worth doing that doesn't lead to joy. Yours or someone else's.

Oh, I know- I didn't write in waltz time enough.