oh
the adventure
of each evening
easing softly
into your arms
feeling gently
the warmth
you offer
the touch and kiss
of loving
the cool sweet
comfort of
trusting
openly (such
open) wings
taking flight
soaring with
splendor in bliss-
filled union
oh
the pleasure
of each passion
easing softly
into you.
-- douglas brent smith
quickly spent all my money
at a bar on paradise lane
slipping jacks and kings to Fack
drinking gin to ease the pain
a redhead at the jukebox
tossed a glance and smile at me
but my libido was incognito
and my head was out to sea
four sheets to the wind
dreaming other people's sins
and counting on my quarters
all the places that i'd been
my hat's my only date tonight
my buddy's got the bucks
i've got a sweetheart in Chicago
who i'm counting on for luck
but it's long past midnight and i'm officially flagged
drinking shots and eating slices of that cheese tomato pie.
-- douglas brent smith
she went to college to earn her degree
but midway thru was convinced to run free
some search from within for better results
landed her awkwardly inside a cult
now she's selling flowers to the cars at the light
her parents convinced that her choice wasn't right
like a zombie stone-faced tied to the cause
the mission requires she side-step the law
there must be a dozen or more deep inside
armed and well drilled they are ready to fight
the blockade does not even phase them a bit
they shout to the masses that they will never quit
two dozen people on one long lost trip
grappling for reason and feeling it slip
outgunned and outnumbered they were all apprehended
the planned revolution was thoroughly ended.
-- douglas brent smith
brick by brick the
hard high wall around me
began to fall
with music so soft
only intimate ears
could hear
when with that wonderful
tenderness so overflowing in you
you touched my aching
concrete cynicism
and kissed my world weary
mind into dreams
of singing
laughs of growing
and joys
of being alive
like each bare brick
of that wall
you slowly, oh so
carefully dismounted the doubts
freed the fears
and with quiet little steps
entered my heart
in a halo of rebirth
revealing that
there were once two loves in my
crowded carefully plotted
closed-hearted life:
my rusted roaming van and my
faithful guitar and
now
as sunrise welcomes Spring as
living brings new growth
i joyfully see
three.
-- douglas brent smith
sketch: Pipe Organ (More of the Pipe Saga), by douglas brent smith
During the period of time when I occasionally drew an addition to the Pipe Saga, my dad smoked a pipe. He had sense to quit later, but while he did the smell was wonderful. The pipes I drew were humorous and with a nod to the surrealists, especially Magritte who was at the time perhaps my favorite artist.
On a more fantastical note, I really would like to play that pipe organ, wouldn't you?
(pretty little almond eyes
sleeping next to me
breathing such sweet loving sighs
questionless and free
pretty little almond eyes
snuggle close to me)
with unexpected joy i find you with
your welcoming radiance
a once illusive happiness
floods into my soul
reckless and free
a thousand wild laughing tingles
glowing from the flow
of days with you
and nights with you
and secrets we both know
(high brown eyes
h.b.e.
waking next to me
whispering about your dreams
such sweet certainty
pretty little almond eyes
share this world with me.)
-- douglas brent smith
Analysis Training Sketch with Stars, from journal #12, Never Doubt (1978).
sunlight shimmers in
her eyes her
breasts dance with
each tiny breath
whispering
my name
-- doug smith
It was a lean time, surviving on peanut butter, pasta, and soup and enjoying the freedom that a wide-open schedule provided where even at work I could draw, write, compose. Ah, but I was young and my sense of humor perhaps more crude than good and cartoons like this resulted.
It's silly, but there it is.
if you catch me
counting stars
some night
when i should be
gazing into your eyes
or if a tear drop
forms when we
should be
celebrating
chalk it up
to mystery
or a muse chasing
escaping vibrations
but never blame your
self and never doubt
our love.
-- douglas brent smith
I remember as a child being fascinating by the concept of Figures in text books. Illustrations were often labeled Figure 1, Figure 2, etc. I wondered, "why don't they just print the title of the picture?" but never found out.
In fun and tribute, I named this doodle Figure 1. It appears in journal #12, never doubt, 1978.
someone found sparkly yellow
stuff, indifferent deep in the ground
wet in pebbles too thick to drink
too heavy for wheels
small quantities scattered
"let's make it money"
they said "because it's so pretty..."
now everybody wants what was
in fort knox as if
every heavy clunk of gold
held a genie inside
with three wishes for riches
and what do you
do with them
but
wish for more gold
-- douglas brent smith
can you still feel my cords? she
said often after the heat had subsided
and we were nearing sleep
at first i said yes, even though
i had no idea where they were
or if they still were
but like so many other lessons
from you i learned
after learning every square lovely
inch of your warm body
where your chords were
cords
there were other chords, also: lines
from your soul to mine
gullible at your will
veins
mixing sunbursts with rain
notes from my guitar, chords
calling your name
after long walks with puppy dog
after altercations over where
each or both of us would live (tell me)
can you still feel my chords
a thousand miles away?
-- douglas brent smith
