Ron Whitehead

closing time

from thingvellir iceland we came, vikings,
crossed the atlantic in open vessel, wooden ship,

past a statue shouting empty words, liberty,
crossed the appalachian mountains to kentucky, hillbillies,

the viking hillbilly apocalypse revue, not knowing tour,
headed west into the canyoned night, west kansas in an old ford,

sarah sees people, spirits,
knocking pulling on our doors at 3am, rest stop,

depart further into deep night, shooting stars,
colorado sunrise boulder buddhist naropa, university,

did buddha suggest a university where was jesus' church, wherever he was, to woody creek hunter s thompson home, gonzo,

highway 133 backroads valleys mountain passes, telluride,
rosemerry and art goodtimes had by all, heart and lungs collapse,

climb mountains every one the last, america is an illusion,
america doesn't never did never will exist this poem is for nobody, closing time,

tear down the fences that bound the prairies, the mountains,
saw down the parking meters the beaches long, everglades big sur,

take back the plundered earth hold it, heal it,
your bosom your womb embrace, take it back,

there are no boundaries no fences no owners, never were,
never will be only beauty this world is full, brimming,

pregnant with beauty los alamos, evil,
take it back the deserts, mojave,

the mountains the prairies the plains, take kansas please,
take it all back it is yours, we have tortured it long enough,

let us all go to spirit school until we are, healed,
ready to return to the vast purple green blue beauty, earth,

no name can describe the majestic beauty, of this place,
mother where is this we are here now but only, a little longer,

till closing time which is two or eight years, or days,
away places we traversed called, colorado new mexico arizona california,

andy michael david james dean sarah, the heart of las vegas darkness, mountain desert ocean deciduous evergreen, cactus,

a 2,700 sequoia years old largest living being, in the world,
where what place is this, why are we here,

except to live in peace harmony, not harm,
love embrace accept forgive grow our souls, be patient,

closing time has arrived, we had our chance,
and blew it, thread of hope remains,

desert winds howling screaming, tumbleweed,
this poem is hope full, written by who,

this poem is for no borders, no boundaries,
this poem is for nobody, it is for,

this poem is for the deserts the mountains the oceans the forests, majestic, this poem this closing time poem is for, nobody,

Ron Whitehead
AHA

Copyright © Ron Whitehead 2004

 

 

A Thanksgiving Prayer

- like a bird on a wire
like a drunk in the midnight choir
I have tried all my life -
to be free

Leonard Cohen


thanks for the wild turkey and the passenger pigeons
destined to be shit out through wholesome American guts

thanks for a continent a world to despoil and poison
thanks for Indians Afghanis and Iraqis to provide
a modicum of challenge danger and entertainment

thanks for vast herds of bison to kill and skin
leaving the carcasses to rot thanks for bounties
on wolves and coyotes thanks for the American dream

to vulgarize to falsify until the bare lies shine through
thanks for the KKK for neo-Nazis and for a new
secret fear based government that is dismantling

our Bill of Rights and protecting us by increasing
censorship thanks for nigger-killin lawmen feelin
their notches thanks for decent church-goin men

and women with their mean pinched bitter evil
faces who don''t understand that Jesus never
killed nobody who don''t understand that there''s

only One Commandment not 10 who don''t understand
thanks for ""Kill a Queer for Christ"" ""Kill and Eat a Vegetarian""
bumper stickers thanks for laboratory AIDS thanks

for Prohibition and the War On Drugs thanks
for a country where nobody''s allowed to mind
their own business thanks for a nation of snitches

thanks for filling the prisons for building new prisons
and filling them too so corporations can continue
to have slave labor Yes Thanks for all the memories

thanks for the last and greatest betrayal of
the last and greatest of human dreams


Ron Whitehead

(with Special Thanks to my friend William S. Burroughs)

Copyright ©© 2004 Ron Whitehead