"A Song To Illustrate"

A song to illustrate and insist upon:

It doesn't have to be a hit-

Or a tune so delicate-

That every note is as a thread of silk-

It's just a song to illustrate and insist upon:

Something that must be shown-

That it's always been about you, babe-

And how within my heart-

I've loved you for so very long.

"You Know How Easy It Is"

Of nonfictional prose-

Of poetry:

What's already learned-

The fantasy,
Within the chronological outline-

That you have no reason
To see turned:

And what's on your mind?

And did you forget again
To send your girl a rose?

But you know how easy it is
To comment upon the tendencies of the age:

And somewhat Shakespearean,
If you speak of your life
As your time upon the stage:

The things you have included-

And whether or not
You've been deluded?

Sometimes- that's just the way it is.

"Mrs. Browning's Addiction To Opium"

Mrs. Browning's
Addiction to opium-

And did
The mere thought of it-

Just to get a little more of it-

Have her heart beating
Just like a big bass drum?

No doubt-

But that she would observe
Punctiliously
The taking of it-

Quickly getting the shakes for it-

When she didn't get some...

That is...

Mrs. Browning's
Addiction to opium.

"In Substance"

In substance,
The arrangement is:

Understanding the meaning-

And to know when you're not dreaming:

Nor to always be in such a hurry-

Nor to always be afflicted with such a worry-

Though that may seem impossible,
And probably is...

Yet you need not necessarily
Consult this number to find-

That is, number 82-

And not number 9:

Which seems meaningless-

And yet not to blow your mind...

That is, to do:

Revolution 82?

"Could Be A Song (Expressing)"

Could be a song expressing melancholy:

Melancholy, baby...

But it's not.

It's nothing more than something vague-

No definite outline-

Not taking any exact aim:

Just something to add to your confusion-

Until suddenly, you realize- it's only a game.

"Love Like Music"

Love-
Isn't it in itself,
The nature
Of the real thing?

Compare it to rock and roll-

Like the songs,
The really good love songs-

That come to you
Articulating the primacy
Of the whole:

The words and the music,
That can cycle down-
And spin around,
Right into
And through
Your very soul...

And you realize
All the things you know:

And you long
For somebody with you
To never go-

To always stay with you,
Stay with you...

So isn't it true-

That love-

Love-

Love-

Oh, isn't it true
That love in itself,
Is the nature
Of the real thing?

"Words Only"

Words only,
Can still leave me lonely:

For they can't always
Immediately be appraised
At their face value:

And sometimes,
As to what they mean-

I might not even have a clue...

So I say again:

Words only,
They can still leave me lonely:

Even if they spring
From the lyrics of this song-

Woman, you know,
You always seem
To want to make me
Wait so long...

But besides all that,
I also realize too-
How it's true:

That no matter...

Oh, no matter
What I do:

Woman,
I'm always lonely for you.