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The Grandest Art

4/22/2023

The Grandest Art

I watch as you walk slowly past,
Reflections in a looking glass.
I wonder what it is you see,
If I’m still there and will it last,
Or if, in looking, fade too fast.

A shimmering glimpse of the sea,
A depth so pure it frightens me.
Sunlight haloing us as one,
An image that has set me free,
Opened my eyes to what could be.

My battles now have all been won,
Lay down my sword they’re all but done.
Drop to my knees with arms spread ‘part,
Embrace the warmth of a new sun,
It arcs the path it’s always run.

Each day with you I see a start,
Each day with you I see a part,
Of how life joins all together,
How we all share a common heart,
How all of life is grandest art.

Our hearts embrace one endeavor,
One miracle held forever.

--William Martin

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Our Hearts Askew

4/15/2023

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Our Hearts Askew

Looking up into the bright pale blue,
A silver jet slowly slices the sky.
Leaving a narrow white trail so true,
It must be lonely up that high.

Traffic runs rampant, roaring right by,
Flashing signals tell us what to do.
A hurried, hostile crowd will comply,
It’s somehow lonely down here too.

Try stepping away somewhere fresh and new,
A peaceful place in our mind’s eye.
Away from the steel and glass we grew,
Yet we cannot create the fractured lie.

It’s enough to move a grown man to cry,
We’ve lost our ability to break through.
We’re on the grid amid the greater “I,”
Plugged in and counted –there is no 'you.'

And we all know it’s true.
And there’s no way to deny,
Our minds have led our hearts askew,
Endlessly progressing without asking why.

-- William Martin

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The Wannabe Blues

4/2/2023

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The Wannabe Blues

Got a Fender Strat on the wall,
A Les Paul hangin’ ‘longside.
PRS? Yes,
I got the best,
But when playin’ my fingers are tied.

Got the rhythm in my feet;
Got the tune in my head.
Lyrics in place –letter-neat,
But for me the blues are dead.

(Chorus)
‘Cause I can’t play guitar,
Can’t even begin to jam.
Can’t play the fuckin’ guitar,
Can’t play it worth a damn.

(Solo)
Scrrreeeeeech! Squaaaark! Twaaaang!
Scrrreeeeeech! Squaaaark! Twaaaang!
Diddley, (stop to scratch my head), Flaaaaang!

They visit me every day,
Hear the blues in my head,
But when I try to play,
They just run away,
Echoes of dirge and feelin’ dead.

Still I try to play what I feel,
Try to play just what I am.
But I know it ain’t real,
--The guitar just squeals--
‘Cause I can’t play worth a damn.

(Chorus)
Yeah, I can’t play guitar,
Can’t even begin to jam.
Can’t play the fuckin’ guitar,
Can’t play it worth a damn.

(Solo, giving it your all)
Scrrreeeeeech! Squaaaark! Twaaaang!
Scrrreeeeeech! Squaaaark! Twaaaang!
Diddley, (stop to scratch my head), Flaaaaang!

Maybe I need a new Tele,
Maybe a wha-wha pedal or two.
Hoping no one will tell me,
My playin’s just no damn use.

(Solo)

--William Martin

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The Grandest Art

Our Hearts Askew

The Wannabe Blues

William Martin's Poems

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The Grandest Art

Our Hearts Askew

The Wannabe Blues

​William Martin's Poems

Archives

Categories

William Martin's Poems