Monday, January 25, 2021

Black Sheep (For Jenny)

 
Let’s compare our silences
I mean really compare them
With the lights of America turned off and all the Joneses tied up in the basement next to their endless supply of material garbage

Let’s hold hands as the foggy memories of pain killers and denial get lost in in the corners of unswept rooms
Let’s stop believing tolerance is a virtue and finally do something about all the hatred fermenting in our country like good beer or a country song that never goes flat
We’d sit in the back of the car as I made you laugh about great grandma Pearl; of course we loved her, but were too young to understand the wisdom and beauty of our elders

Let’s divide and conquer all the myths about this or that resurrection and keep in mind the Crucifixion had nothing whatsoever to do with religion and everything to do with cutting down a great healer and teacher in their prime
Too many people trying to nail us to this or that cross, blaming us for capital crimes taking place thousands of years before we were developed in a darkroom of shadows and seditious secrets
Oftentimes I find it difficult to chill out when all around us a civilization crawls to its final resting place

You asked me a long time ago to get in touch and of course I never did because I’m funny that way and also because reaching out has never been my strong suit
When I heard your voice on the phone everything came flooding back from the Mad Libs to David’s Bar Mitzvah and of course the summers swimming at the Beechmont Country Club
Jenny, you were the first person that not only got my sense of humor, but understood we’re all playing for keeps and must break free from the chains binding us before those same chains become a part of our DNA.

Charles Cicirella
1/22/2021

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