blue fantasy

ol’ blue jumped a rabbit

run him for a solid mile

blue run that rabbit

til he cried like a natural child

 

blue jumped on me one morning

like he had nothing better to do

i didn’t see it coming

it came from outta the blue

 

blue he just dogged me

like that hound dog chased his prey

i didn’t ‘xactly cry, you see

that ain’t in a man’s way

 

didn’t think about my breakfast

til three hours past midday

my mind was rambling, gone amidst

the demons I couldn’t slay

 

blue jumped out my cupboard

poured lye all in my face

beat me with a washboard

had me runnin’ out my place

 

out in the street you shoulda seen

such a riotous carrying on

blue was everywhere like a fiend

causin’ chaos and doin’ wrong

 

blue stabbed me in my head

shot terror through my mind

whupped me til i bled

and rubbed my wounds in brine

 

unspoiled virgins danced with the devil

struttin’ with a whorish gait

nothing out there was on the level

everywhere there was strife and hate

 

a baby was crying for mercy

his mama paid him no mind

‘cause blue would not let her see

so no help there did he find

and high up in a stained glassed steeple

the church folk rang the bell

tryin’ to warn all the good people

that the hounds had escaped from hell

 

i saw blue jump a coon

chase him up a tree and wouldn’t stop

by the light of a bright full moon

catch him and throw him off the top

 

some of the folk knelt and prayed

o’ lord now what will we do

they were so downhearted and dismayed

not knowin’ what to do about blue

 

there was big an’ dang’ous job to do

and no mojo hand or hoodoo to use

we had blues e’erywhere, not just one or two

i just shook my head at all those blues

 

then I saw this old man

sittin’ in the town square

with a guitar in his hand

his clothes ragged and threadbare

 

and he began to strum

strong rhythm with a beat

he started in to hum

moan and howl a tune so sweet

 

and everywhere that blue was

he stopped and looked around

he stood stock still because

he was entranced by that sound

 

the old man hummed and sang

and those blues clowned and  pranced

the church folks’ big bell rang

as the folks in the town square danced

 

sing it boy! go ‘head, go!

boy, you’s a real humdinger

hi - de " hi-de-  hi-de" ho!

man, you’s a real blues singer!

 

 

the strangest thing known to man

then happened on that street

those blues frolicked hand in hand

and sat ‘round the old man’s feet

 

then he began to whistle low

giving them some kind of cue

every one just seemed to know

and they lined up blue by blue

 

the old guitar man took off his hat

and held it like a cup

the blues around him waited and sat

while we town folk filled it up

 

dollars, quarters, nickels, and dimes

were gladly dropped in that hat

money we’d saved to beat hard times

the time had come for that

 

the old man had a snaggle-toothed grin

as he added up the bounty

and nodded to the blues c’mon get in

they were ready to leave this county

 

suspicious town folk looked about

trying to take all this in

was this man taking those bad blues out

or was it he who’d brought them in? 

 

to most it didn’t matter much

i didn’t think it should

our troubles were gone and inasmuch

he had done us a lot of good

 

blues jumped in his guitar

down his throat, ‘round his fingers

now wherever blues singers are

that’s where the blues still lingers

 

man i’ll remember that day

that day we beat the blues

anytime i feel dismay

the bluesman is what i choose

 

he might be called big joe

t-bone, slim, or buddy

to take me where i need to go

i’ll  run with the wolf or muddy

 

or maybe find that snaggle tooth man

whose name i don’t care or know

to sing the blues like only he can

he sing ‘em everywhere he go!

 

doug curry

january 4, 2012

Reviews

[Yellow Butterfly]

This was a fascinating piece with great use of metaphor and a wonderful narrative which reeled me in from the start.


Music to my ears....

A wonderful write