Kiwi Parade Gloss
She was a captain
From south of Akron
Thirty and steely
Shapely but barely
“Smile more,” she told me
“You act too oldly”
Threw back her bourbon
“Let’s outdo Keith Urban”
We are the bastards
They’re running after
Clumsy and fractured
Words are all that matter
“Dress blues?” I asked her
Chewing her laughter
“They keep me honest
And look! I polished!”
Then threw her leg out
Bold as a downspout
Light scattered blinding
Eyes need reminding
Glittering shafts of
Rust Belt disaster
Just one more actor
Chasing words that matter
If I told you she was too good for this place
You would smirk ‘cause you hadn’t seen her face
Bend the knee ‘cause this Mary’s full of grace
Filled with grace
Ah, she tasted like a heaven of skin
I think we both knew all the trouble we were in
If I believed in heaven, she would let me in
Let me in
Sun-smeared and yellow
Ailed, ill-met fellows
That’s when she asked me
How it gets past me
“‘Cause I will say this
You’re not the sharpest
Bowie in this sheath”
(sly glimpse of her teeth)
That’s when I asked her
If she liked bastards
Doubling as actors
And being dastardly
Everyone’s bastards
All running after
Themselves as actors
Finding words that matter
We are the bastards
We’re running after
We are all actors
Words are all that matter
© 2022 John Brocato
From south of Akron
Thirty and steely
Shapely but barely
“Smile more,” she told me
“You act too oldly”
Threw back her bourbon
“Let’s outdo Keith Urban”
We are the bastards
They’re running after
Clumsy and fractured
Words are all that matter
“Dress blues?” I asked her
Chewing her laughter
“They keep me honest
And look! I polished!”
Then threw her leg out
Bold as a downspout
Light scattered blinding
Eyes need reminding
Glittering shafts of
Rust Belt disaster
Just one more actor
Chasing words that matter
If I told you she was too good for this place
You would smirk ‘cause you hadn’t seen her face
Bend the knee ‘cause this Mary’s full of grace
Filled with grace
Ah, she tasted like a heaven of skin
I think we both knew all the trouble we were in
If I believed in heaven, she would let me in
Let me in
Sun-smeared and yellow
Ailed, ill-met fellows
That’s when she asked me
How it gets past me
“‘Cause I will say this
You’re not the sharpest
Bowie in this sheath”
(sly glimpse of her teeth)
That’s when I asked her
If she liked bastards
Doubling as actors
And being dastardly
Everyone’s bastards
All running after
Themselves as actors
Finding words that matter
We are the bastards
We’re running after
We are all actors
Words are all that matter
© 2022 John Brocato