the ribbon

as i was walking down the lane i met a man from peru and a lady from spain they accosted me in a civilized manner and asked me what was inscribed on my banner i wore a ribbon across my chest upholding the measures i thought best to improve the values of civilization in every human tribe and nation your sentiments do you credit, sir the man from peru with a smile averred do you find they meet with wide approval? my name by the way, is conrad duval mime is john smith, i replied my knowledge of the world is wide with it now succinctly distilled my destiny is fulfilled that destiny is to spread the truth to the living and the dead to solace those who endlessly weep and awaken those who endlessly sleep those who find me naively mystical and perhaps a bit egotistical may be assured i will never rest and will always do my best i awoke to a cold dawn and realized my hearers were gone and the man from peru and the lady from spain were only the wind and the rain

on a summer day

as i was dozing peacefully on a lazy summer day st peter pulled up in a pumpkin and asked me to cleveland the way i do not know about cleveland i answered with a shrug chicago is just down the road apiece but is filled with ugly mugs i know nothing about chicago the saint cried with alarm but i must find lawyer jefferson because pa has sold the farm pa has sold the farm, he repeated and a tear fell from his eye where st augustine and i were lads in the sweet bye and bye that is unfortunate, i told him and managed not to grin but such things happen every day in this fallen world of sin i wish i had a drink, he sighed of whiskey, beer, or gin his white beard waved as he pulled away and i never saw him again

every day is the end

you may not like it but it’s true i am a person just like you i am the greatest of all time so please throw me a lousy dime i vowed to conquer like alexander but my dreams were so much grander i had one mission from my birth and that was to bring peace on earth at first my path was rough and stormy nobody had any time for me no one cared what i had to say and went on their merry way but i perservered i grew a long black beard my eyes flashed fire and ice and i stopped playing nice where to begin? the world was filled with sin eyes were glazed, and hearts were cold armageddon had grown old i would sand on the corner and shout but the street tuned me out my feet got flat and my beard got gray and not a passerby looked my way i sat in my little room and decided to change my tune of all men i would be least and preach forgiveness and peace i stopped speaking and held a sign simply announcing the end of time i lost my menacing frown my blood pressure went down the present future and past were none of them built to last wanderer, take note we are all sinking in the same boat you may mot like it but it’s true i am a dreamer just like you if you pass me by some time throw me a lousy dime