Ravensgold Poetry (17)

Old Jims eyes take on a watery glaze
As he continues to relive those far off days
On that long weekend
Up from the sticks
All tooled up for fun and frolics.
He downs another glass
As he slowly turns that old photograph
To reveal,..a cute girl in boots and a mini
Clinging to a longhaired guy,
All bashful and skinny
With a bunch of white carnations in hand
That she bought for him..
From a city centre flower stand
Just for a bit of fun,
Just for devilment,
Just to revel in his embarrassment.
Old Jim lights a smoke and smiles
Rolling back the miles
As he recalls that dreaded bouquet
And how she made him carry it around all day
As proof of his love...she said
As if proof were needed..
Old Jim shakes his head and lets out a sigh
Had he the chance now,
He would carry it to Egypt.
As Jim pours again,he begins to hum..
That old Mary Hopkin song
Those were the days my friend..
We thought theyd never end...
As he recalls Sue scouring the
Record stores for that song,..she so adored.
And oh, how she shimmied and posed
Like a true centrefold
Still managing to look so pretty
In the rain and the cold
As their photograph was taken
By the man on the bridge
While endeavouring to dodge the rush hour carnage
Afterwards,...Sue skipped along..
Happily chewing her juicyfruit gum,
Stopping once, to give coins to a begger
Yes, life was grand, it couldn't get much better
They had the freedom of the city
There was so much to see,
And like two kids in a sweet shop,
They rubbed their hands with glee....

Old Jim,he takes the album down
Wipes the dust off with a frown
He cant believe another year
Has come and gone
He slips the vinyl from its sleeve
Being careful not to leave
A thumbprint
Where it does not belong.
He turns on his old pioneer
A relic,of those bygone years
And looks on, as the needle finds the groove
Then he pours himself a Scrumpy Jack
And reaches for his ciggy pack
As that smooth silky vinyl sound
Seeps through.
Jim picks up the record sleeve
And turns it over,to reveal
A rainy winters day in Stephens Green
And three young guys, with stars in their eyes
Rockin n Rollin under leaden skies
In that January scene
In nineteen seventy two
Now forever captured
In Shades of Blue.

Jim remembers that time so well
The sights, the sounds, and that Liffy smell
When he and Sue travelled up from the sticks
To have some fun amongst the city slicks
And he will never forget that fateful night
As they strolled hand in hand,
Under Graftons street lights
Fresh from a picture show,still full of life,
And looking for some action,
Of the musical type
That's when they caught the sound
Of an old blues beat,
Creeping out from a side street
And plucking at the heartstrings,
A lonely guitar
Calling one and all to the Zodiac bar.
In a trancelike state, they were drawn inside
Slow blues were calling,
And there was nowhere to hide
As down the narrow stairway they went
And into that dark and shadowy basement
Sue hanging on tight,for all she was worth
In her platform boots,and denim skirt.
As their eyes grew accustomed,
To the smoke and the dim
They began to move around
And he got some drinks in.
It was then that they first set eyes,
On Phil, and the boys
They were playing in a corner
And making plenty of noise
He made his way up front,with Sue on tow
And he could see that the big man
Was the star of the show
Yes,..the guitarist was inspired
And the drummer was on fire
But for charisma and charm
Phil was the one to admire
And the fans did just that
As they crowded right in
Everyone wanting a piece
Of that would be black king
And Phil just stood there,with that big grin
Yeah man,he was taking it all in
There were rockers,and bikers and posers in suits
Groupies,and snoopies and a few cowboys in boots
All lost in the moment,as Phil laid it on
Yeah,those guys they could do nothing wrong
Everyone was getting up,and going down
But then,thats the way it was.
When the Lizzy boys were in town.
Old Jim remembered Sue having a bit of a laugh
When he went to ask for an autograph,
Well Phil answered the request with a little jest
And duly signed it in his very best

Just then, from inside the cover,
An old polaroid glides
Faded in colour and bent at the sides
Old Jim retrieves it
That snapshot in time
As the music continues
To dip and to climb
On the back of that old picture
That has now started to blister

Best wishes to Jim and Sue
From Phil and the Thin Lizzy boys
January 1972.

A childlike scream, so wild so real
So human, fills the air
The shattered dream of a life once free
Ends in tragedy
The green green grass
Is green no more
Dyed red,
Died in Agony.

Is this what they come to see
Time and time again
Another sacrifice, another wasted life
Spilled upon the ground
Who are the animals anyway
Which ones are the animals here today
Yeah....

Its just a way of life, for the civilized
Pillars of the community
Those bigots of a bygone age
reflect a sick society
Supported by the church and state
In legalised brutality

Is this what they come to see
Time and time again
Another sacrifice, another wasted life
Spilled upon the ground
Who are the animals anyway
Which ones are the animals here today
Yeah....

Life is cheap in the game of death
Life is cheap,...
In the game of death....
LIFE IS CHEAP IN THE GAME OF DEATH.

Towering above the slowly crumbling castles of rock
He freed the pawns from within those walls
Standard-bearer for his long lost king and idol
He to would walk the razors edge
Where genius and glamour rarely mix
Where artist and anarchist fight to the death
Both wizard and jester
His voice a throaty growl of defiance
The pen was his sword
Sometimes sharp, sometimes blunt,
But always to the point.
Silenced only,by the piercing scream of a tortured guitar,
Cold steel turned red hot,
Theres a killer on the loose again.

I lost an old friend yesterday
I just thought id let you know
You wont hear it on the evening news
Or read it in the Echo.

Its not very important in the scheme of things
It wont knock Cowell of the cover
Its just another old flee bag
That should have known better.

I dodged the morning rat race
I stood in no mans land
My eyes were turning misty
As I held her in my hands.

All over in the blink of an eye
A final pat of the spade
The spirits free to soar and fly
I stand there in a daze.

There are no photographs of Fluffers
Nothing left to show
No monuments,no neon lights
No fanfares to blow.

She had that certain something
That is so hard to define
I know i will remember Fluffers
For a mighty long time.

As the sun danced on her Sunday coat
A thousand lights did shine
Skipping through the undergrowth
Grace and speed combined.

Even now as i look outside
Down the garden path
I think I see that little elf
With the green eyes looking back.

Well I guess ive wasted enough of your time
I suppose id better go
Its just that I lost an old friend yesterday
And I thought id let you know.