The Willow Weeps Again Tonight

a poem

This is a 9,250 word manifesto poem that takes 40 minutes to read. I think it’s one of the best things I’ve ever written.

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The Willow Weeps Again Tonight
by Dan Denton


I see the great willows that weep
and smell the fragrance of dead flowers

I dip my toes into the water of the great ocean
which seems to flow out to the edge of the Earth
and I watch the same ocean return later
beating itself against the shore

the moon has come and gone 500 times in my short time here
and still I marvel at - NAY
I revere with something sacred that I can not name 
the moon’s monthly ends and new beginnings

if you haven’t gotten your head out of the clouds by now
then I offer up this prayer for your continued non-compliance

I see the men with no mothers that beg on the streets
I see the women that wish they never had a father
I see them beg in different ways than the men with no mothers
but often I see them on the same streets
have you seen them?

I woke up this morning and saw on the side of my milk carton
that reality had gone missing
I wrote down the number to call if I see it
because I sure could use the reward
but it’s afternoon now and I’m still broke
and the world has never made less sense

I see the great mountains that shred the horizon
and know that even they tremble under 
the weight of it all

I see the forests burning and just like you
I can not predict the direction of the wind 
and I do not know what to do next either

if you haven’t gotten your life together by now
then try rearranging the pieces

I see the blazing neon light of hope
I see it bright as day
but you’d have to see it too to believe it 

I’m still learning how to translate the language of human emotion 
before it becomes another dead language

I see the lakes and rivers that go their own way
I see the highways clogged by those that have lost theirs

if you haven’t found your way in life by now
it’s ok to read a different map
find a different tour guide
or learn to go out on your own
have you said hello to yourself this morning?

the brevity of one human life 
isn’t even a sixteenth of an inch notch 
on the long great tape measure of time

if you haven’t learned how to measure time yet 
then I offer up this prayer for your continued non-compliance

I am ready now to give the inmates 
an opportunity to run the asylum 
I am ready for the meek to inherit the Earth
and I’m willing to go to war for it

I see the trees swaying and I hear the monks praying 
both sound the same to me
democracy was lost forever when man held his first election

I pray for peace and hope for rain
but the measure of one man’s prayer
is surely less than that of one man’s life
and the measure of one man’s life is a grain of sand and 
there are a hundred thousand beaches
what hope then is the single strand of hair that is one man’s prayer


I have seen evidence of the holy
and still boldly declare that there is no god
just as I have smelled the rotting breath of evil
and I know that the devil lives in Washington
we all do and I’m beginning to grow some concern
that we may have to burn the house down 
to chase the bastard out into the open
like you I do not know which way the winds will blow tomorrow

if you haven’t grown up yet
then accept this prayer for your continued non-compliance 

our imaginations were destroyed the first time
we were ever handed a book
and sadly the only way to get it back
is to read another one and another one and another one

too many of us are still trying to learn to translate
the language of human emotion
in a world that has thousands of nuclear bombs armed 
and ready to go at all times

we grow great gardens of impossible beauty
we paint and draw and place our pretty pictures
on the walls of public buildings for all to see
in a world that has thousands of nuclear bombs armed 
and ready to go off at any moment

I see the difficulty of the daffodil 
who has the audacity to grow
in a world with thousands of nuclear bombs

I see the confusion of the rose
I see the conundrum of the precious lily 
who choose to grow in a violent terrible world

I see the bewilderment of the blue jay
the hesitation of the hummingbird 
the consternation of the cardinal
who do not know that this is no time for joyous song

I hear the crows calling but I do not know
what it is they’re trying to say
I see the buzzards soar high in blue sky
I see the mighty hawks fly high in blue sky
and both look the same to me
and it isn’t because I have weak eyes

I see the fireflies blinking across the meadow at night 
and know that they are dying 
I wonder if they know that we’re dying too 

I hear the call of the bullfrog but I don’t know 
yet how to respond

I hear the call of train horns at night
I hear the train roll over track like 
a million galloping horses going nowhere
I pray for box car jumping hoboes with 
the same fervency that I reserve for my prayers for peace

I pray four times a day and I do not believe in God
I see the contradiction of life

I walk through woods and talk to trees 
that I will never know the names of
and I sing along with birds that will never know mine

if you are still reading poetry
then I offer up this prayer for your continued non-compliance

I see poems written on the backs of old men’s hands
I hear poetry in places where there is silence
I’ve read the message between the lines
but you would need to read it too to believe it
I am not an interpreter 
I can hardly understand myself 
I have gotten lost on my way to gather my own thoughts
others have said that I was out of my mind
but I prefer to think that I’d gone fishing

if you have ever lost your mind
then I offer up this prayer for your continued non-compliance 
even though I too know the agony of the odd duck
I too know the grease of the squeaky wheel

the moon will come and go 10,000 times more
after I am gone from this plane
men will die with no mothers 
women will die despising their fathers and we know why
just as we all know why the whippoorwill cries 

I see the sunset again tonight 
it ruffles the sky and its cloud skirts
with the same ordinary pink and warm orange of yesterday
and I’m in just as much awe as ever

I see a nation watching TV though 
I do not understand the obsession 
but I am most certain that Walt Whitman 
would have also subscribed to PBS like I do

I hear the laughter of the seagulls in shopping mall parking lots 
though like you I too do not know what they find funny

I see the summer corn growing tall and proud
I see the grain silos full and hulking in the countryside
I see the supermarket large and sprawling 
I see the ribs of a million children starving 
and like you I do not know how to change 
the direction of the wind

I know why the willow weeps and I know why the coyotes laugh 
but when I try to explain it all
it comes out like Greek
I do not yet know how to speak Greek
I do not know which way the winds will blow tomorrow 

I do know peace and I do know rain
though my association with them is once again awkward to explain 

I believe in our future although you have 
given me no reason to trust in the past 

I like to think peace is possible 
as I walk through playground parks protected 
by army tank monuments 

I pray for peace in cities that line the town square 
with a dozen gleaming cannons 
they say they pray for peace too
but I’ve found it wise not to trust a man with a gun 

if you have not felt the need to pray for peace by now 
then I offer up this prayer for your continued innocence 

I grieve for genocide even when you call it prayers for peace 
I allow my heart to break for the victims of war 
even when you call war a prayer for peace 
I’ve learned not to trust a man with a gun 

I wonder what did the katydids do during World War 2
did they choose sides in the prayer for peace 
or did the katydids do what the the katydids do 
and chirp their cricket songs at night 

I have made my wishes known over 
the blown seeds of dead dandelions
four leaf clovers are always looking for me
I found myself again lost in my thoughts 

I hear the rattle hum of the cicadas 
I believe that they’re trying to tell us something 
I hear the lone cricket that chirps into the night
I believe that they’re trying to tell us something 
I hear the crows calling and 
I know why the willow weeps 
and I am trying to tell you something 

I water plants and still hope for rain 
I am an optimist that way 
I have dined with those that have monkeys on their backs
I found there was little that I could do to relieve them 

I once found the wrinkle in the fabric of the universe 
but I had no iron to smooth it
we all go on in disharmony because of it
I pray that the next ambassador to Wrinkle-stan
is far better prepared than I 

a door that opens can also close
I too see the wisdom in this but I couldn’t explain it either 

all of my coupons have expired 
I have replaced monthly haircuts with 
an ever growing bandana collection 
and there isn’t anything else to say about it

if you are still trying to decipher the messages that 
you feel coming in on the west winds
then I offer up this prayer for your continued non-compliance

I’ve gotten drunk on the milk of the Milky Way 
I fell in love with a star once
it was a long distance relationship

I have been to the place where
the Loch Ness Monster hides
I believe she is trying to tell us something 
and I’m growing concerned that she will become
just another in a long line of history’s forgotten women

I have danced when I was supposed to march 
I have played when I was told to work
I sing in quiet places and refuse to speak in the noisy ones
I have taken both the hard road and the high road
I’ve laughed when I was supposed to cry
I’ve cried when I was supposed to find things funny
I went out of my way to go out of my way
I was difficult when I should have been easy 
I was easy going in times others found hard
others march to the beat of their own drum
I dance with a block party orchestra in my heart
I couldn’t fit in and was disliked for standing out

I forgot to listen when we were given instructions in school
and I have found myself lost in my own thoughts again 
I know why the willows weep 

I paid my dues early to the dude that’s supposed 
to ferry us across to the afterlife when we die

I wore rose colored glasses too often
I wore rose colored glasses too often and the Doctor
said that my vision was altered
and that I would never see the world
the same way ever again and I thanked him
I could have cried I was so happy

I see love everywhere I go and do not
understand those that look for it

I have made friends with dragons that 
I was supposed to slay
I believe the dragons are trying to tell us something 
and I don’t think they want us to hear it

I have smoked cigarettes with the lonely 
and gotten high by myself
I carry lanterns at night even though 
I am not certain what I’m supposed to be looking for 

I did not dance with the devil even when he asked me to
I did not dance with the devil even when he asked me to

if the devil has not yet asked you to dance
then I offer up this prayer for your continued sobriety

I pray four times a day and do not believe in God
do you see the contradiction of life?

I learned to love myself and felt hated for it

I spend Summer afternoons stomping in sun puddles
I have my own straw that allows me
to drink directly from the clouds
I do not believe in God even though I have seen God
and I don’t have time
to explain the contradiction of life
I know why the willows weep
I too have made doves cry

I dance to jazz that others can not hear
I dance to the blues that make others sad
I know the smell of death metal 
the sound of laughter on skid row

if God so loved the world then
he could have brought us flowers and chocolates 
instead of just another mouth to feed 
I see the ribs of a million starving children 
and wonder why God does not
I see the prayers of a million desperate mothers
and wonder why God does not

if you have never been angry with a God that you do not believe in 
then I offer up this prayer for your continued innocence 

I’m still trying to figure out 
the difference between a wish and a prayer

I held the same wish in my hand every year
but no one brought me a cake with a birthday candle to wish on

I have tried to do good and been made to feel bad for it

there are some who meet the devil far away from the crossroads 
I am one of them
I still can not play guitar
so the music lives and stays inside of me
you think you’ve got the blues?
I have seen those that have no color at all

I am one of those that never seems
to have it all together
and I’m beginning to suspect that 
it’s because I’m missing some of the key pieces

I once held the whole world in my hands
but I put it down
because I wanted something else

I have spent my life looking for something else
I light my lantern each night searching 
and I know that I’ll know it when I see it 

I do not know which way the wind will blow tomorrow

I light fires and carry the weight 
of un-wished birthday candle wishes 

I am ready to let the monkeys run the zoo
but I’m not sure that we’d notice a significant difference 
I am ready to let the sinner give the sermon
I am ready to give the devil his due
the willows are weeping and the moon is half off again tonight

if you are still waiting for an answer to your birthday candle wishes
perhaps you should try prayer

I’ve watched video kill the radio star
I’ve watched the internet kill the video star
I’ve watched capitalism murder the internet

I plant flowers in a world full of nuclear bombs
I plant flowers in a world of war and genocide
I plant flowers in my heart but flowers
won’t grow where the bombs are

I sleep when others are awake
and I’m awake when others sleep
I have lived amongst the dead
and I have heard the crows calling
and I have dried the tears from the willows that weep

I have seen what fear does for a living
I have seen what love does for the dying
I have danced but not with wolves
and I am not the only living thing
that finds sacredness in the moon

I believe bird calls to be more vital than phone calls
have you seen the rain?

time is a tool used to measure the distance
between what we are doing and what we really want to do
it has no other purpose

there are many answers to your question
but I’ve only been given this one life to live

the gods of yesterday wouldn’t make it
in today’s poor man’s hell

I woke up one morning and found
my milk carton missing
please call 1-800-fuck-you if you see it

love is a war of good intentions
and I’m beginning to grow some concern
that peace might not be possible

love is a war of good intentions
and I’m ready to wave the white flag
I don’t want to fight anymore

I drink from the well of life like a vagrant dying of thirst

how much human blood must be shed
in our pursuit of peace?

I grow tomatoes and I eat beans 
under the radioactive eyes
of a thousand nuclear bombs

I know the sound of music
though like snowflakes
no two ears are ever the same

I know what I’m supposed to do 
and that has never interested me
I offer prayers for your salvation

I have stood when told to sit
and I spit in the eyes of those
that would make one comply

I ate the pie in the sky and asked for another
I sometimes hope for a second helping of this life
and sometimes wonder if I’ve the stomach left
to make it through this first one

I’ve found the answers to every mystery in life
but I’ve never known the questions 

the weight of the world is too much for mankind
that’s why there’s trees and mountains and rivers
we are not alone out here
the birds know that we are dying
and we would be wise not to forget it either

I see the skyscrapers that cut the blue skies like a knife
and I hear the sky cry at night left alone to nurse her wounds

I hear the moan from the bowels of Mother Earth
I hear her moan as rich men with machines and poor employees
drill into her and ravage her
I hear her moan as rich men blow up whole mountaintops 
to take what they want

I have heard the death rattle alarm of a man dying 
I have watched the spirit leave the body
though I too do not know where it goes

if you too stay awake and listen to the sounds of Mother Nature 
then I offer up this prayer for your continued non-compliance

I drank the kool-aid but did not join the cult
I did not shoot the sheriff and I sure as hell
ain’t talking to the deputy
I see no evil. I hear no evil. I speak not to cops.

I planted flowers when the world needed grain
I’ve never seen the Hope Diamond
but if it’s pretty rocks that you like I’ve got a hundred of them

I hear the wind blowing and I see the monks praying
and it all feels the same to me

as far as I can tell national holidays 
are really just an excuse to have a 20% off sale

all of my coupons are expired and I do not believe in God

I don’t know what I’m doing either 
but I have seen the rain

I woke up this morning and found happy missing
on the side of my milk carton
there was no number listed
it just said to turn yourself in if found 

I see fun advertised on every street corner in America
but I’m running out of people that I know
that can afford it
the rest of us learn to make our own
or do without 

I have taken books without permission from many free libraries
I wrestled 30 alligators at once to prove my manhood
I still have the scars to show you 
I tossed my hat into the ring and lost it
and had nothing to hold in my hands when I came to you

I plant flowers in a genocidal world
if you do not understand why
then I offer up this prayer for your continued innocence 

when life is hard I pray more
though I still do not know to whom
I couldn’t tell you even in the good times
when all my prayers return for you

I fell in love with myself and the world hated me for it
I have seen the camel and I have seen 
the eye of a needle and I do not believe in Heaven

I too have seen the eye of a heroin needle
and if heroin has taught me one thing 
it’s that there’s danger in feeling too good
if you’re still in the classroom with heroin
then I offer up this prayer for your survival
though it’s unlikely that you will get out
I’ve seen too many students in that school graduate
and I too often wonder where the spirit goes when we die
I do not know which way the wind will blow tomorrow

I know the willows that weep
they’re real good friends of mine

I don’t think butterflies belong in stomachs
and I’m trying to show you how to see the rain
I have something to tell you 
but it is in a language that I too don’t yet understand
I have spoken it freely here
in hopes future generations will comprehend

I have trusted too many bald barbers and skinny cooks
for a man that has read this many books
but I know better than to trust a man 
that preaches peace while carrying a bazooka

I distrust anyone that wants to be my friend too quick
because I know me better than anyone
and it took me 35 years just to get acquainted with myself

a man that has himself as his best friend
has a fool for a friend
and I have heard dumb people say wise things
I am saying them now

I have ridden on the jet planes that shred the sky to pieces
I have cried with the sky at night
I pray for others far more than I ever have for myself 
and I do not believe in God

I see the men with no mothers again
and pray for the daughters that they father

I have danced with the sun and let me tell you
we were fire baby
the sun is a real hoot
but also it’s just a table lamp
in the great house of the cosmos
and if the sun is that insignificant in the grand scheme of things
what hope is the strand of hair of one man’s prayers?

I see that the clowns have finally overran the circus
I offer up this prayer for the return of a ringmaster
though I have vowed to kiss the ring of no man
I see the contradiction of life

I am closer now to death than ever before
and a murder of crows is calling 
I think they’re trying to tell me something
but I haven’t figured out what yet
if you know please tell me
I am ready to listen
tell me something good

I see the world through the lens of the artist 
but I never learned to paint
that’s how I got to be a poet
what is your excuse?

I see the forests shrinking
I see the desert growing
I do not think the two are at all unrelated
though I know nothing of science 

I have spiritual feelings and do not believe in God
you wouldn’t either if you heard why the willows weep
I am telling you now

I hear the cries of the working people
they’re beginning to sound like an anthem on the horizon
I remain hopeful
I am an optimist that way 

I’ve read the Bible and decided that it is time for a new gospel
I think this time the saints should stay at home
and let the outlaws find a new 10 commandments to break

unfortunately for Moses I too have heard
the burning bush speak
you know what it told him
and I’m trying to tell you what it told me
life is a contradiction and none of us will survive

I have heard the angels blow their horns
and if that’s the best of Heaven
I’ll take Coltrane, Davis and Charlie Parker
all day long and twice on Sunday

I have heard the so called choir of Heaven
and I’ve heard the music that the devil
brought the Mississippi crossroads
Heaven never stood a chance after that
I still do not believe in God and I’m trying here to tell you why

I see the ribs of a million starving children
they are a beautiful garden nearing ruin
I pray for the angels and choirs of Heaven
to come and sing for the suffering
but they do not come
and there’s only me and I’m trying my best to sing

if you still hear the music
then I offer up this prayer for your continued non-compliance 

Coltrane and Davis and Charlie Parker
made music under the threatening eyes
of a thousand nuclear bombs
so I continue to plant flowers
we are not dead yet though we are certainly dying 

the trees-the birds-the Grand Canyon and the Rio Grande
do not know how to prepare for World War 3
and I don’t think they should have to
brothers will kill brothers and men grow up with 
no fathers and they have daughters too

I woke up this morning and found kindness missing
on the side of my milk carton
and I’m growing concerned that no one will find it
I don’t even care about the rewards anymore
I just pray for peace and plant flowers
I am trying to teach you how to plant flowers 

I am ready to put the cart before the horse
and I don’t even really know what that means
if you know please tell me
I am finally ready to listen
please tell me something good

I pray for peace and I pray for revolution 
I see the contradiction of life

I have seen many bad things and I still believe in good
why don’t you?

I have traveled and found the lost highways
I have tried to learn everything 
and still I know next to nothing
but I have learned to see the rain
and I have become an expert in hugging willows that weep
I am trying to teach you how to hug too

I fell in love with an alien once
the sex was out of this world

I count blades of grass until I lose count
and then I begin again
we all have our own ways of coping

I have lived through tornadoes
most of us do and none of us
remember the ones that don’t

I have tried to remember the dead 
and forgotten who I was 
I found myself lost in your thoughts again
I am hoping that by now
you have learned to read between the lines

I have seen too much ugly in this world
to not stop and enjoy the beauty

I hear the rain falling and see the prayers of the monks
both feel the same to me

I tried to buy the American dream on layaway
but no one sells what no ones buying 

I got up this morning and saw that hope was lost again
I didn’t need to read the milk carton to know it

I see fun advertised on every street corner
and notice that they never sell you happy
because if you had enough happy
you’d buy a lot less
and they have more to sell every year

I do not know how to predict the direction of the wind
if I did I would tell you
I’m just as surprised each morning same as you

I sold low and bought high too often to be taken seriously
this isn’t a joke to me although I too find most of it funny

I’ve lived in too many towns full of sad clowns
to ever trust the happy ones
I see the contradiction of myself

I know that there’s still a long way to go
and who knows
what time is left to get there
if you follow another man’s map
you’ll go where other men have gone
I have been to the places with no map
and I’m trying to tell you what I saw there

I was downtown and a cat asked
if I’d found Jesus
and I said shit no—I hadn’t even seen him
on the back of my milk carton yet
but a lot of things sure had gone missing lately

he said that it wasn’t like that 
that he could show me the way
and you wouldn’t believe it if I told you
but the motherfucker told me that all I had to do was pray
I said it wasn’t like that
I said that I am a night owl that has fallen in love with the sun 

I pray for peace and I wait
I pray for rain and I wait
I pray for revolution and 
I do not believe in God and I’m tired of waiting
I see the contradiction of my life and
I laugh instead of weep

I pray for peace and plot micro-revolutions 
because I am an optimist that way

I understand the norms of society though I refuse to follow them
I’m not much of a follower and not much of a leader either
I’m something of an in-betweener that has gone rogue

I have fed machines and went hungry myself
I see the ribs of a million starving children

I am not only a menace to society 
I am also a menace to my own serenity

I woke up this morning and saw that my milk carton
said that I’d gone missing again
I am getting my lantern out now
I hope I know me when I see me
I sure could use the reward

I know why the willows weep and I hope that you are learning too

I pray four times a day and still carry
all of the unspoken birthday candle wishes of my childhood
I still do not understand the difference between a prayer and a wish
and I’m considering buying a bazooka
so that I can pray for peace too

I see the rain falling and the monks are praying
but they both look the same to me
I wonder which way the wind will blow tomorrow 

I am ready to give the children a chance to run the schools
I am ready for the dog to once again learn to wag the tail

I drive by church after church and I worship at an alter of myself 
I pray four times a day and I do not believe in God
I am a friend of Buddha’s but I am not a Buddhist
I see the contradiction of myself

if there were no flowers we would never need the bombs
and I see the contradiction of life
and I am trying to show you too

if you know a better way then show me
I am ready to see
show me something good

I woke up this morning on the wrong side of the bed
and found myself in my right mind for once
it was terrifying 
I remember times when I prayed for rose colored glasses 
but all I had were books and the song of the birds

I see the ribs of a million starving children
I see the prayers of a million desperate mothers
I see a million daughters with no fathers 
and I see a million more that wish they had none
I know why the willow weeps and I wish that I did not

I have trusted too many blind fortune tellers to see my future
I fell in love with a palm reader that was dyslexic
she said that I had a long and easy life on my hands

I bought two beach front properties in Arizona
and now I’m waiting for high tide

a man sold me the Brooklyn Bridge once
and I’ll never make that mistake again
that sucker is too big to take home
I had to go back and visit that man
and pray for peace to get my money back

Love is a funny thing and I don’t feel like laughing 
do you?

I made friends with a caterpillar once
then fell in love with a butterfly that
took off to Mexico at the end of the summer
and I never saw her again
now I have trust issues with caterpillars
I’m doing my best to work through it in therapy

I woke up again this morning and saw on the side of my milk carton
that humor had gone missing and it’s no laughing matter
nobody knows how to take a joke anymore
I am trying to teach you how to take a joke

I don’t know Jack Shit but I’m willing to meet him

I too was once a star sailor
I remember landing on the moon but conspiracy says otherwise

my ducks are never in a row or ever where they’re supposed to be

I take candy from strangers
you take it from babies
and you think we’re the same?

I am lighting my lantern again tonight
me and a million starving children are going to look for God
not because he’s missing 
but because he’s wanted 
by the FBI for mass murder
sometimes virtue is its own reward
do you see now why the willows weep?

I am writing poems in a world that is full of nuclear bombs
I am writing poems in a world of rape and war and genocide
and if I have to tell you why
then I offer up this prayer for your continued ignorance 

I have found the key to happiness
but can’t seem to find the lock that it fits in

I have seen the quick death that comes when the waters rise
I have seen the slow deaths caused when the water goes away
and they say water is life— water is life
and life is a contradiction 
I pray again for your salvation and I trust that you believe in prayer
let’s leave God out of this one
hasn’t he done enough?

I have eaten from the dust bowl of America 
I did not say grace and I asked for seconds
I paid for it by the skin of my teeth

I don’t have any opinion on whether or not
you should lie to others 
but I have little to do with those 
that are facetious with themselves

the sun sets again and again 
people go missing and milk cartons are sold
I see the ribs of a million starving children
I feel the prayers of a million desperate mothers 
I have given them my lifetime of stored up birthday wishes
and if someone should someday make me a cake
then we’ll all get to heaven one day
and I can’t wait to panhandle the streets of gold

sure I am a few crayons short of a full box
but I’m still full of many colors
I ain’t the sharpest knife in the drawer and I have never cared
who needs a knife when they have a bazooka
I am trying to pray for peace
but the willows have began to wail again tonight 
can you guess why?

I woke up this morning and found on the side 
of my milk carton
that truth was missing 
everyone claims they’ve seen him 
but the descriptions have varied so much 
that even I don’t trust milk cartons anymore

I have spent my whole life beating around the bush 
constantly on the verge 
of losing my mind and finding myself
I WAS promised a rose garden goddamnit 
we all were and I’m beginning to suspect
that we might have been lied to
free education comes at a cost
you do the math

at this point we might as well let the fox run the hen house
tell the chickens not to worry
a fox only prays for peace
the devil is in the details
what is peace for a fox is hell for a chicken
and I’m considering buying a nuclear bomb
because I’m fucking serious about peace too

if you are still lighting lanterns at night
then I offer up this prayer for your continued non-compliance

I know where the Sasquatch hides and I know why

I’ve drank my fill from the big and small dipper
I unbuckled Orion’s belt
I have made love to angels and had my heart broken by demons
I never learn— there’s a single’s dance in hell tonight 
and I’m looking for a good time

I have looked for a good time in too many bad places
if you are still looking for a good time in this nuclear bomb world
then I offer up this prayer for your non-compliance
have you prayed yet for mine?
don’t waste your time
I know why the fucking willows weep
but I do not know which way the wind will blow tomorrow

it shouldn’t have to rain cats and dogs
in order for you to see the rain
I still look for rainbows in a world full 
of nuclear bombs armed and ready to go off

isn’t it about time we let the horses lead us to water?
and drink from the well of life
like a summer dog laps at its bowl
do you see the contradiction of me yet?

I pray four times a day and I do not believe in God
I don’t trust men with guns and I am a man with a bazooka
that is not a metaphor 
there will be peace on Earth even
if we have to fight forever for it

I went downtown and I saw a cat that 
asked if I’d heard the good news
I said no but I am ready to listen
tell me something good
and he said that Jesus saves and I said saves what?
and he said the souls of men
and I told him that was just so-so news at best
and asked about the razor thin ribs of a million starving children
he got real defensive about that and began
to make a dozen excuses for Jesus Christ himself
and I told him that his news really sucked donkey balls
and that I would pray all alone again tonight

I woke up again this morning and saw
on the side of my milk carton that common sense 
had gone missing and I said well no shit
I’d wondered where the bastard had been lately 
I hadn’t seen him in forever

these days it’s hard to tell
I feel like my mind is on the verge of going fishing again

the grass is greener on the other side
because they use pesticides 
and the lightning bugs are all dying
and soon all we’ll have left 
will be the lightning bug red lights 
that blink from the top of electrical towers
and those are not fun at all to catch and 
they are damn near impossible to put in a jar

I turn a blind eye to the plight of the blind leading the blind
and I see the ribs of a million starving children
they know why the willows weep—do you?

I have killed two birds with one stone
these days a picture is only worth 500 words
and though I see the world
through the eyes of the artist
I have not yet learned how to draw
that’s how I got to be a poet

I planted flowers again today and the world needs beans
I see the contradictions of life

I hear the trees whisper into the wind
I see the monks praying
both sound the same to me

I am a non-religious man that prays religiously four times a day
or maybe I’m not praying at all
maybe I’m just blowing wishes into the wind

there is no right tree for a dog to bark up

I woke up this morning 
and knocked my milk carton over
and I cried with the willows that weep
I am trying to teach you how to wipe up spilled milk

I am coming out of the closet to tell you
that I have fallen in love with the man in the moon
you may think this queer but 
we’re having cheeseburgers in paradise again tonight 
then going to a scenic look out that sits under the right foot of Saturn
and sure our love is as up and down as yours is
some nights I hardly see him at all
other nights our love is full like the circle of life
most nights we lie together somewhere in between
and every few years he gets blue
and when that happens there’s nothing I can do to cheer him up 

I say if you can’t judge a book by its cover
then what use is a first impression?

I see great big flags flying across a nation
I see their red and white stripes and 
I recall the ribs of a million starving children
and the willows continue to weep

I do not know the direction of tomorrow’s wind
I do not know how to change the world
I pray for its salvation and do not believe in God
I know hunger and I know rain
I do not trust men with guns
I’ve been fighting for peace my whole life

I had a date with Lady Luck once
and I struck out

can you believe the gall of the goldfinch?
can you believe the balls of the barn swallow?
who sing joyous songs in a nuclear armed world

doesn’t the dandelion know this is no time for beauty? 
this is a time for peace
I am serious— get my bazooka

I ran into a man downtown that 
asked me for a cigarette and I gave him two
he said may God bless you and I said with what
and he said with whatever you need
I said I need food for a million starving children
I need that fucking rose garden we were promised
and I need a motherfucking nuclear bomb
so they know I’m serious about peace too
and he walked away shaking his head like I’m crazy
and maybe I am but I know why the willows weep
and that’s all I’m trying to tell you 

I woke up this morning and saw
on the side of my milk carton
that my mind had gone missing again
they said he was armed and dangerous
so I called the missing persons hotline
and told them that they had it all wrong
my mind wasn’t missing just gone fishing 
my mind wasn’t dangerous unless
you counted planting flowers as revolution 
and my mind damn sure wasn’t armed
he was just learning to pray for peace
the guy on the missing persons line
told me they have a reward for my good work
he said to stay right here and they
would bring the reward to me and I’m gettin excited 
I hear a hundred sirens raining 
so they must be in a hurry and excited too

I have woke up sober in the drunk tank more than once
I am an optimist that way

I pray for rain while making love to the sun
I can’t help myself
I’m always looking for something else
I am lighting my lantern again
are you coming with me or shall
I pray for your continued non-compliance again tonight?

I see the contradiction of life even through rose colored glasses
and I know there’s more than one way to do it
but we gotta stop skinning cats
don’t you see why the mighty willows weep?

I hear the crows call again tonight and
it doesn’t take many to make a murder
maybe they’re praying for peace too

I see a nation bow before digital screens 
and though I do not understand the obsession 
I wonder what they’re praying for
I do not believe in God and I pray for their salvation

I am a pacifist that’s trying to buy a bazooka
I want so badly to be a part of the solution 
but none of us can agree on what the problem is these days
and like you I wonder if the wind will change directions tomorrow
I remain hopeful although the world 
has rarely given me a reason to

I hear the news screaming FIRE! in crowded theaters
I run with the bulls and hunt for foxes in hen houses
the world is a china shop
and everything looks red through rose colored glasses

how many bombs does it take to change a lightbulb?
I know why the chicken crossed the road
we all do but the world is a joke that 
none of us say the same punchline to
I am not afraid to laugh last—are you?

I do sun dances in rainstorms and it is always a success
the sun always rises and when it does
I take rain-checks on the rain dance and stomp in sun puddles again 

I too have slung mud
my hands aren’t exactly clean

I see the silliness of the sunset
it’s so dang beautiful in this ugly world

I see the caterpillar and the wrens and the rabbits and white tailed deer
they do not know how to prepare for World War 3 
and I don’t think they should have to
I’m weeping with the willows again tonight 

I woke up this morning and had no money for milk 
and no carton to tell me what was missing in life
I ran in circles all day looking for something
and like most days I found nothing
and hands that once held the whole world
go to bed empty again tonight

I see the bees buzzing and I know that they are dying
I wonder if they know that we are dying too

I saw a cat downtown that told me
to give him all of my money 
I told him that I didn’t have any
and in a perfect world he would have 
given me some of his
but the world is not perfect
I had to pray for peace
and the willows continue to weep

I have walked when I should have ran
I ran when I should have stayed
I have caused a dozen doves to cry and 
I did not know how to dry their tears
I still do not know how to dry their tears

I see a million children starving and 
I do not know how to dry their tears

I see people arguing again about a president and
though I do not understand the obsession 
I too think it is time to let all the cats out of the bag
let the cards fall where they may
the chips are down and we must decide now
will we go all in or shall I continue 
to pray for y’all’s  non-compliance again tonight?

I am trying to teach you 
how to pray in a circus of nuclear bombs
because we aren’t dead yet
and we just may need to pray for peace tomorrow
I am getting my bazooka ready
the willows weep and weep and weep

I once fell in love with a girl from Venus
she said she loved me for my personality 
but only the fourth and fifth ones
she didn’t care much for the rest 
you could say it was 
a quick fall back to Earth when she dumped me

if you have never dated a space girl
then you don’t know what you’re missing
when they promise you the moon and stars
they actually deliver

I am praying for you again and I do not believe in God
I see the contradiction and I do not apologize
I am counting my blessings
I am running out of fingers to count on
can you please lend me a hand?

have you seen the fatherless daughters
they are begging in the streets for attention 
I think it is time to take out a federal loan and pay it to them 

have you seen the men with no lanterns
begging on the street corners for spare flashlights
anything to help them find what they’re looking for

I’m beginning to confuse smokescreens for metaphors
I once saw a water fall and tried to help it back up 
I wound up wet and cold again

I have stayed up all night too often at 
the 24 hour intergalactic house of waffles
I am a regular there in that irregular place 

I am trying to teach you the language of love 
in a world full of nuclear bombs
I am trying to teach you the language of the heart 
in a world that would rather build bombs than bridges
I am trying to teach you how to pray 
and God has nothing to do with it
the willows weep and weep

how did we get here?
we could have fed a million starving children 
but instead we chose to blow up heaven

I woke up late this morning and my milk carton said 
that democracy had gone missing and
I shudder at the thought
of what it might cost to find it again

I jaywalk in broad daylight
I don’t look either direction before crossing the street
I am an optimist that way

the whole world seems to be praying for peace these days and
we all have to choose sides
the soldiers are marching down Sesame Street and 
I am raising funds to buy Big Bird a bazooka

what some call cartoons others call propaganda 
we all have to watch something with our breakfast cereal 

I walk alone in cities of the dead
ghosts do not believe in me
I am coming out of the closet and
I’m bringing all of my skeletons with me
monsters do not live under my bed
they live in my head and
I am learning to appreciate their presence

the willows weep while I pray to 
a God I do not believe in
my coupons are expired
my best-if-used-by date is long overdue

I see a nation of mighty church steeples
I hear their bells ring every hour and
I see the ribs of a million starving children and 
I think God ought to be ashamed that
his houses sit empty 
while sinners help sinners 
or else they die in the streets
often times in the shadows of crosses 

I see the faces of a million weeping mothers
I know where fatherless children go to play

I am counting blades of grass again
I’m considering taking up arson
I need to find new ways to cope
the old ways just aren’t working anymore
we may have to declare war to find peace
I see the contradiction

I am beginning to trust caterpillars again
I dance in open fields with flocks of butterflies
I warn them to tone down their beauty 
I am sorry I say—the world is full of nuclear bombs and 
this is no time to be cute
the butterflies laugh at me and 
all at once they lift off all together and
between me and the sun
the sky becomes a heavenly stained glass window

and I do not believe in God but
there have been moments 
when I have understood the obsession

I keep a butt plug and a Bible and
four hollow point bullets on my nightstand
there is more than one way to pray for peace 
there I go lost in my own thoughts again
if found please return to the asylum
I am planning to lead the inmates to revolution
are you coming or what?
how long should I pray for you?

don’t you take anything serious?
there are nuclear bombs out there and they certainly mean business

I am ready to reverse the tables
I want to see jesters sitting on golden thrones
I want to see kings learning to juggle knives for our entertainment 

I am trying to teach you how to juggle
I too once came upon two roads in the woods and 
though I did not start the fire
I sure as hell danced in the flames
I am waiting now for the right road to find me

I woke up with the early birds
just so I could see the worms
I stayed up with the night owls and 
the man in the moon seduced me again 
what can I say?
I am a sucker for lunar lunacy

come now—come
won’t you help me plant flowers?
I know the nuclear bombs 
are out there watching with radioactive eyes
that’s why we must plant these now

I long to see lilies the color of the sun
I want to hear the peonies laugh
the marigolds have their own tiny joys
my rose bush is no prize but
even an average rose is worthy of love and 
I have a feeling we are going to need more love
the bombs are out there watching
by now do you see why the willow weeps?

let us pray again today that we will wake up again tomorrow
the flowers are beginning to bloom and
the angels are rebuilding heaven

I am hoping to leave the mothers and fathers a better world 
I am failing
we are failing
holy Jesus fuck are we failing
it is not too late but
I’m afraid that we might need bazookas

I woke up and saw you on the back of my milk carton and 
I wept with the willows but 
I am out here now
I am lighting lanterns and 
I will set forests ablaze if I must
I am here beside you now
I am carrying a mirror made of prayer
I am wishing for you to see the beauty of you in you 
I have seen the stained glass windows of heaven opened in your heart

this is not a joke
they are making more bombs and 
we’re writing poetry and saying prayers

I see the contradiction in life and 
I know that we are dying
I am offering up my prayers again
my coupon is expired and I do not believe in God

here—put on these glasses
see the pink clouds there?
see the rain?
isn’t it beautiful?
see how fucking beautiful? 
the willows see and this is why they weep
I have seen the beauty of a hundred willows weeping 
I am showing you now
I am planting flowers again and
I am showing you now

---

Thanks for reading.

Love,

Dan