for Caitlin Lally
pianos in the clouds
showering us with music
of a kind
not often appreciated
and us here under the covers
for Joan Manson
it was more than “the fifties”
you were more than “fabulous”
I was more than a “punk”
we had more than “young love”
that was more than “right”
and I remember more than
they said I would
Bridget Bardot
Abbott & Costello
Hound Dog
The Dickey Bird Song
The Girl Can’t Help It
T.S. Eliot
Cassius Clay
JFK
Thelonious Sphere Monk
On The Waterfront
Bird
Pope John XXIII
Ezra Pound
Clifford Brown
for Robert Slater
when he was young
they called him the carpetbagger
because whenever he went south
he fucked them up
now he can fuck them up
without even moving
I cant sing too good
but I can write good
I cant play too good either
but I can write good
I cant last at anything too long
even writing
but when I do it
it’s something
and writing something
is always adding something
and that’s supposed to be good
I can make love okay
but I cant do it forever
or too long with the same person
unless I really convince myself it’s love
and then it’s good
but not always good even then
but when I write about it it’s great
and the writing is good
I’m not too good with languages
though I’m finally learning some Spanish
and I studied German, French, and Latin
but still, even English gives me trouble
I just go on speaking and writing
my brand of American
and the writing is good
sometimes it’s very good
I was never very good at sports
even indoor sports
not enough patience for pool or shuffleboard
but I can always write
and I write good
I’ve never been able to make much money
I haven’t tried too hard but
I’ve thought about it very hard
and tried some
but I’ve always been able to write
and write good
sometimes I wish I was a wealthy man
or a famous musician
or a great painter or something like that
but I never wished I was a writer
I just knew one day I was
and that I was good
and so I wrote
and keep writing
and keep reading what I write
and even when it’s terrible
I know it’s good