I still can’t understand why people think Tom Waits is so depressing. I think there’s no kind of bad you can feel that Tom can’t make you feel better. If you’ve hit rock bottom, he knows what it’s like. If you’re hovering just above the floor, he’s seen worse. If you just need a good cry, or a good laugh, or a really vivid description of that terrible pie, he’s your man. And if anyone’s ever understood hope, it’s him. He’s fearless and honest and growly and just like life in his own way.
It’s just a bit past Christmas, and in the spirit of Tom, l’ll risk it.
what is life but themes and variations
sometimes it takes years to find the melody
but it’s the unexpected beauty
of another shade of truth
that always moves me
forward is the only direction
i can travel in comfortably
and acceleration trumps brakes anyday
sometimes a bit of rocket fuel is all i need
these momentary connections
take on such unexpected gravity
of lightness
they keep me on my path
hold my hand as i giantstep
into the future i am meant for
i find as i grow older
there’s so much i carry that buoys me up
snapshots and anvils
they form the constellations of my life
though we may never touch again
the three sisters on orion’s belt
are separated by millenia of millenia
but they hold his trousers up
just the same.
20 dec 09