Pink Moon Lament - By Dan'l McIlhenny

Last night a pink moon 

Skipped over Oregon 

Bigger than normal some say 

While others never noticed 

At a non-descript moment 

A voice behind a face  

Flickered out forever 

Vanishing from 

Our human aliveness status 

He, that person, a songwriter 

Gave us a bathtub full 

Of original tunes 

Not just campfire favorites  

But more so… 

Slice of life oratories 

On who we are, how we live & 

What we do - even things 

We don’t do because we avoid things 

Then pass them on for someone 

Else  

In his unique wordsmithing 

You could liken his songs 

To Norman Rockwell paintings 

For their stark portrayal 

Subject matter 

Although our author 

Drove his chariot 

Into troubled waters 

Detailing rawness of humanness, 

It was always 

In amazing fashion - 

A palatable dose 

Of storytelling at its 

Finest 

This troubadour seldom  

Took the easy way out 

Leaving us bluntness 

Often humorous but 

 Without doubt - thought provoking  

In some way 

He gave the rest of us voice 

Meaning; here’s a vision 

What do you make of us,  

Or it? 

From my listenership 

My interpretation of 

His cavalcade poetry 

Meshed in melody 

Easily latched onto song 

He told his character-rich tales 

Unapologetically 

Here it is Pilgrim… 

Suck this one into your head! 

So long John Prine - 

One of America’s greatest 

Songster Laureate spokesman 

Armed with a guitar  

And a hell of a lot to share in song 

About we the people - 

Good, Bad or otherwise! 

Rest in Peace ~~~ Dan’l 

John Prine was 73 at his passing 

Written 4/8/2020

Leave a comment