Frank Messina

For Bob Dylan

- Recited at Bob’s 60th Birthday Party -


Out of the pages of the literary renaissance
And onto the ears of a thirsty nation
that waited for times to change
To rearrange the government
to move people from the woes
of war and desolation
closer to compassion, brotherhood,
sisterhood, nationhood

There was no answer from the schools,
no attempt from Hollywood
nor the news that Cronkite would give,
music was the answer; a messenger
for the frustrated, disillusioned
striver of the American dream
appearing, at times, like a nightmare,
that only music and poetry could remedy,
so the goods that were delivered by
Gibran, Whitman, Ferlinghetti, Ginsberg
and Kerouac were passed to Bobby Zimmerman
then to Bob Dylan when times were in desperate
need for a changin’

Folk poet-master-troubadour-angry Jewish kid out of
the corner pocket of the American dope deal,
arrogant lover of life, the bard with a beard of butterflies,
flies to the moon, comes back
With a silver box and a revolution tucked deep inside

When everyone was comfortable
with Uncle Bob they felt raked over
like blood on the tracks; the folksters and hipsters
balked at his Marshall stacks,
the quintessential hippy-acoustic-guitar-harp man went electric.
“Oh my god”, screamed the kids

But wasn’t he always electric?
buzzing with the static of planet earth
the grace of the face of the American folk hero, the beat,
the outsider, the in-your-face up-your-throat
giver of wine and words and time
is the man we know as Bob Dylan.
From the Vietnam generation to generation X
to the cyber-screwed children of the new millennium,
he treads the spread of the American eagle, giving us this day our daily bread,
greetings us with the goods and wisdom
that we so desperately need. Happy Birthday Bob!


copyright 2001, Frank Messina

 

Bob Dylan at Midnight
Acrylic, sea salt, shredded poems, poppy seeds on canvas
36" x 48"

Painting by Frank Messina

News & Of Note! - Frank Messina's 40th Birthday Celebration! - With his all-star group, OCTOPOET, featuring Scott Murawski (of Max Creek), Robbie Gordon (of Gil Scott-Heron's Amnesia Express), Souren Baronian, Victor Jones, Jay Roosa (of PaPa HooDoo) with special guests David Amram, Tyrone Cotton, Ron Whitehead, Dawn Lorentz take the party toThe Turning Point February 16th.

Also Of Note! - The Pix and Video Are In! - The Cams were there and caught the SoulProse Sights and Sounds of this Party Night at The Turning Point! Click Here To View The PhotoBook and also Click Here To View the VidClip of Ron Whitehead's kick off of the festivities with his PraisePoem, "Searching for Frank Messina"

The New CD from Frank Messina and Ron Whitehead!

" Walking Home"

Includes Frank's Mets poems, Playing for the Mets and Just a Game. This album features Kentucky legend Ron Whitehead, country music singer Sarah Elizabeth, blues singer Tyrone Cotton and Andy Cook. An eclectic spoken word and music album.

Click Here to read Zoe Artemis' review of "Walking Home"

Get your own CD of "Walking Home" Click Here!

For more Messina, The Mets and Everything Poetry! Click Here!

 

 

Frank Messina and OctoPoet
- Live at The BPC -

Messina and OctoPoet with special guest, Sudan Baronian slide thru a medley of the Spokeface favs at The Bowery Poetry Club. Lensed by Robert O'Haire.

View the medley of

You Will Not Break Me, Lead Me Not Into Temptation and Rhythm Vacuum

More Video! Frank Messina and OctoPoet - Live at The BPC - Resolutions October 2nd, 2004 Messina and OctoPoet take the stage at The Bowery Poetry Club and what was penned in 2001 is not much different as we make for 2005. Lensed by Robert O'Haire. Click Here to view the video! Also view the classic, "Bicycle" .

 

For more on Frank Messina, go to www.spokeface.com .