Old blues
Old school
Old news
Old shoes

Tattered boots
Stories told
From a battered youth
An untethered view
From an era of reconstruction
Reconstructed for you

I challenge you
To listen to
Stories that later
May not matter to you
But in the moment
Are so cherished
So inherent to
The very fabric
Of America

The sadness
We each carry with us
These songs will
Slowly ease us out

He's a stout
Dark and hearty
He's astute
He's a student of
Our history
Sharing kitchen stories

He was told to hold on
And he did
To what most of us
Left behind

He is a stranger's mind
Made intimate in time
He is a stranger's mouth
Sharing out...

 

-Art Freeman