different

different folks lead different lives some live in palaces, some live in hives some live in mansions, some in hovels some in holes that they dig with wooden shovels some only breathe a few minutes, and then die others live a hundred years, and that's no lie some ride through the city on the shoulders of the mob others walk the lonely highway, can't even find a job some men are treated by women real nice they crawl all over them like bedbugs or lice other fellows can't even get kissed and never know what they have missed some women find men handsome and faithful rich, well groomed and properly grateful other poor girls are enslaved by mad beasts who will never let go until they are deceased some folks never learn to read from the wisdom of philosophers they are freed some folks never go to a museum there are some pretty pictures there, but they don’t see’em the world is a deck with a trllion cards that you can’t figure out though you try so hard the chips will fall whether or not you may i don’t have anything more to say

the white dog

by major stafford sternwall last night i had a strange dream, a dream so strange i can hardly begin to describe it. i was walking down a street and then over a bridge and a chap i knew in school passed me by without so much as a glance, and i thought, good heavens, am i going mad - does nobody recognize me, do i no longer exist - and i kept walking across the bridge which seemed to have no end, and i thought, i wish i had had a dog when i as a boy, and then do you know, the strangest thing happened, a big white dog came bounding toward me, the friendliest fellow you ever saw, and i thought, at last, at last i have a true friend, and then i woke up - and i realized i was out of cigarettes. and the tobacconist would not open for another two hours at least. how i wished i could go back to sleep and meet my friend the white dog again. but it was no use. once awake, i can never get back to sleep.

dead man's cliff

some said his name was billy some said his name was biff but they had to pick up the pieces when he drove off dead man's cliff he drove a 57 'vette the coolest car invented yet he came down highway 101 as the sun began to set the boys thought he was a stuckup clown the girls desired him for a mate he drove through town like a conqueror he drove through town like fate the girls rushed out of the soda shoppes and gathered around him like flies and melted like cotton candy candles when they looked into his eyes he said he had been to paris and rome and lived in a mansion in l a his dad was the king of hollywood and his mom was the queen of the may he had wealth to toss like confetti enough money to burn a wet mule he had sat at the feet of wise men but knew there was only one school and that was the school - of love the school of love - and regret for he had had his heart broken by someone he was trying to forget the girls were thrilled with his story they wept to hear his tale they elbowed each other for his attention but his love was not for sale the stars stood still in the heavens as billy made his pick he settled on shirley stevens the others drifted away - heartsick they had to watch as shirley so rich, so blonde, so blasé had the corvette's door opened by billy and watch as they sped away of all the girls who were shattered peggy smith took it the worst when the race for billy's heart began she was sure she would come in first she slunk home to the little cabin where she lived with her drunken dad she had never been so late before this time he was really mad he told her she was a harlot who had blackened his good name and she would have to hit the highway when the next daybreak came peggy lay in the darkness hoping that she would die when she heard a tap on the window in the sweet bye and bye there was no time for romantic words there was no time for palaver it was peggy's desperate prayer come true - it was billy come to save her! his blue eyes blazed in the darkness his spine it stood up stiff "i have come to save you, my darling but my name isn't billy - it's biff there is no time to explain my deception you will have to trust me, i fear but wait for me in the moonlight i will be back for you, my dear but first i have to clear my name there is one thing i have to do just wait for me, my darling, and to you i will be true" he vanished into the darkness lit by a single star a star like peggy's wildest dream so near, and yet so far the f b i was on biff's trail for a bank job up in spokane so far he had eluded them in the night and wind and rain peggy waited by the window until the sunset glowed her teardrops fell like silver jewels alas, biff never showed no one ever knew for sure if his name was billy or biff they had to pick up the pieces when he drove off dead man's cliff