I feel for him and I feel like him. There was nothing he could say. I feel so sorry for the man. And how he lost his friend. There was nothing he could do. You could see it in his eyes. His hair looked grayer. He became what he felt. He became grief. And death. Death permeated his cells. Decay withered his bloodstream. Narrowed his tubes. Frightened his nerves. But gave him something to fear. Don’t go near the water. The pool’s too deep on that end. What did you expect? Spark spark steel wool battery spark. Fire spark light spark love spark feeling. It’s love. That’s what the music carried. Love is a horse and love is a rider. Love needs love to carry on. In the rain in the storm. In the tempest tossed and torn. Love moves on and leaves you. Carries on with a new lover. Love needs a lover. Love needs an affair. Love needs something. Autumn in the air. Piper pied piper. Rats running rats falling. Pied piper pied runner. Peter pickle pumpkin piper. Demand that I interpret my everyday mundane through crayon-colored raindrops. I would happily meet those demands. Because I dream in gray cloudy gray. Maybe black and white. I know what hues are in my dreams. But I can’t see them even though I’m saying them in my head. Song love love logic song love love means. Ends means ends love love ends. Love ends actually. Never. Love continues after death. During death. And before. Especially before. When the mind and body work in tandem to show it in the eyes of those wayward strangers. Needing food needing water. Needing shelter needing song. Song you are my diet pill that replaces all of those things. Fortify me like morning cereal. Song fill my bars with your bones. Do battle with the air. Do battle with the atoms. Force them and bend them. If you know you’re feeding love then you know they will thank you. Don’t ask just play. Don’t ask just speak. Speak your words speak your poems. Just like he did. Love him love his music. Love his song music love. And continue his song. In the loving air. Today. Play it.
Nicholas Barnes earned a Bachelor of Arts in English at Southern Oregon University. He enjoys music, museums, movie theaters, and rain. His least favorite season is summer. @ColesWordsPoet.