Muse Blues, Part 2

You learned who your friends were
In times like those
You walked through the wreckage
With infinite joy
You smiled and said
Whatever pleases you. 

You were beautiful and they were vicious
Screeching at reflections
Until they fell down or fainted.

The smoke filled the rooms
They learned tricks from you
It paid the rent that kept getting higher.

They wrote a story but 
It never included you
You were just there to deliver the goods.

Fourth Street/Joker

You were a sorcerer
You strolled backstage
In your Cuban heels
You were part of the show.

It was vicious —
The stakes were so low
You waited in the wings
Your cup full of poison.

The stalls filled with snakes
The knives came out 
There was no other way out 
So, you took it.


Song and Dance Girl

Referring to his immortal 1965 San Francisco Press Conference in which he said, "I'm a Song and Dance Man".

I never thought spermatozoa was phallic
But there you go
I just thought it was seed.

I won’t sing in singsong for any choir
I won’t raise my voice any higher
I don’t care about the funeral pyre.

I am a song and dance girl
So, build a scaffold and burn me
If it makes you feel prouder.

Slightly Nicer

It’s time to draw the line
Before I fall apart
If it weren’t for the music
I wouldn’t know much
Out on the border
The going gets rough
Don’t ask me for reasons 
I might tell you too much.

Big Hotel

I tried to kill the serpent
His eyes were like an owl
They were big and blue
And they followed you around
No matter what I did 
I couldn’t beat him down.

I had to get out quick
They were coming for the bill 
It was gonna be big 
And when they saw me 
They said, “Well, well, well.”

I had no money and no Cadillac
There was no way to leave
I couldn’t get back
So I stayed in that big hotel
Way downtown.

Dead or alive
I don’t know which
I am still here —
And they still come around
Him and his friends
Looking for a pound.

The lines are long 
The hotel isn’t breezy
You won’t find a friend
There’s no cleaning lady
In the Big Easy.

I Threw It All Away

Early one morning half past four
A stranger knocked up on my door
He brought two albums from 1974
He was crashing but he was alive
I came out to meet him
He was bent over my records
Then he looked up sideways
And saw this sandy-haired girl 
She was very much alive.

He handed me two albums 
One from Clive on Columbia 
Four bad boys from Boston 
The other from The Faces 
Then we walked down the cliff
For the first time since I’d run away
I was feeling alive.

He dug me right away
He said, “Misery enjoys company”
I knew just what he meant
Then he flashed me a pirate smile
We came back up from the beach
He was breathless and I was yearning
He fell down on my bed
When he surfaced my cat was lying on his head.

The stranger said, “I’m the devil, baby
I’m a space traveler, too”
I knew what he said was true
I threw it all away
I moved to the border where I stayed
After seven years I’d seen enough
There was no one even left to bluff
He left matches and a daughter, and that was enough.


Poetry on the Rocks for Lonely Hearts Submissions from Elizabeth Cusack (inspired by Bob Dylan)

Many more poems from Elizabeth Cusack (some Inspired by Bob Dylan)

Poetry Showcase from Elizabeth Cusack

Bio: Elizabeth Cusack is a recovering actress. Ever since playing Rhoda Penmark in “The Bad Seed” as a child, deservedly, she has endeavoured to keep up her end of the bargain. Elizabeth has been blessed with the best of teachers over the years, mostly from the school of hard knocks. She has championed and performed in fringe theatre in America. Elizabeth edits her favourite poet while not otherwise inspired by her muse to write.