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Some of My Poetry and Song Lyrics...
I've been writing poems forever. A few have even been published, including two in a collection of San Diego area poets ("And So I Write", 1980). The book's name was taken from one of my poems.
"Neighbors" was inspired by a wonderful nextdoor neighbor. Our gardening styles couldn't be more different, but we manage to get along. ;-)
Neighbors
Linda Eskin
Copyright © 2003
We mostly see each other in our backyard clothes,
She, in her house dress and sandals
I, in my grungy shorts, and stained tee-shirt.
She, letting her purebred dog out to run,
checking on her prize-winning roses,
I, feeding my mare and dusty donkeys,
and tossing grapes to my one spoiled hen.
Behind her house is a tidy quarter-acre of concrete,
with a pool, which only the dog uses,
but is kept crystal-clean by the pool man on Thursdays.
Behind my house is a scruffy lawn of mixed grasses,
cropped to within an inch of its life
by critters grazing each afternoon.
I cannot understand why she has the gardener
strip the soil bare in her orchard,
and she cannot understand why I
let the leaves litter the ground.
But we amicably each tolerate the other's philosophy,
misguided though it may be.
Her dog and my donkeys each pull fruit
from our respective orange trees...
and we each let them.
We both treasure the rich sweetness of ugly,
tree-ripened apricots,
with their sun-scorched skin and insect blemishes,
and appreciate the value of aged manure.
We share gardening tips and casual friendship
over the back fence,
and know that we are more alike than different.
"Tomcat Blues" was written for Ansel, our old kitty whose outdoor adventures have been limited by a series of nasty neighborhood tomcats in the past few years. It seems like every time he goes out, some punk tomcat picks a fight with him. Can you imagine if that happened to you? You go to get the mail, and some jerk beats the snot out of you? Poor kitty!
I have a tune in mind, but you can sing this to any ol' twelve-bar blues - just make up the melody as you go.
Tomcat Blues
Linda Eskin
Copyright © 2003
Well, I woke up this mornin',
Jump down from the bed.
I said, I woke up this mornin',
Stretch, and jump down, down off the bed
Mean ol' Tomcat at my backdoor, and he like to kill me dead
Mmmm, he in the yard all mornin',
He in the yard at night.
Tomcat in the yard all mornin',
Waitin' in the yard at night.
Courtin' neighbor's little Missy, and lookin' to start a fight.
Got the cooped up housecat blues,
Can't go outside no more.
Got them cooped up housecat blues,
Can't go outside no more.
Just sit an' look down from the window, mean ol' Tomcat at my door.
He's a big mean yellow Tomcat,
Ears all tore to shreds.
He's an ornery, cuss-ed Tomcat,
His ears all tore to shreds.
Lurkin' 'round my backdoor, just waitin' to kill me dead.
I don't want your Missy, Tomcat,
I ain't equipped, no how.
Don't want your Missy, Mr. Tomcat,
Ain't got the stuff, no mo'.
Just wanna sleep out in the sunshine, but you hangin' 'round my do'.
Mmmm, I rather be outdoors now,
A-walkin' round in my backyard,
I said, I'd rather be in the outdoors now,
A-walkin' round in my backyard,
Than be lyin' 'round here hopin' to catch that Tomcat off his guard.
Got the blues all through the nighttime,
Got them sorry blues all day.
Blues all evenin', night, and morning',
Got them blues all through the day.
Hope somebody get a water hose - chase my Tomcat Blues away.