The Ol' Sof' Shoe

Slim be havin long ass conversation
Wiff nobody bout nuthin
Caught possum in a box propped up wiff a stick
Had some gumbo wiff a cawnbread muffin
One toof missin, nutha one gold
Twinklin through a black leather grin
Slim be havin long ass conversation
Ain't nobody listen to him

Squatters come lookin faw gold
Every one of em stakin they claim
We used to make love in this boneyard, baby
Maybe we gave love a bad name
These rooms filled up, overwhelmed us
Heavy with unspoken air
You say you just need to breathe
But air ain't what you're chasin out there

Maybe I was born out of time too late
Maybe I departed too soon
It don't take a rocket scientist
To do the old soft shoe on the moon

Mostly I'm keepin my mouth shut
Question always needs an answer
Answers ain't somethin I'm good at
Can't be the cure if I'm the cancer
Squatters are out stakin their rights
Down payments on cemeteries
You used to sparkle like Slim's gold tooth
Before the air got too heavy to breathe

I'm ready to starve, ready to freeze
Plant me like a seed in the ground
Maybe our tears will bloom in the spring
Maybe we were meant to drown
Maybe the tears we all must cry
Cleanse the stains from the earth
Maybe we do the old soft shoe
'Cause the dance conditions the turf

Maybe I was born out of time too late
Maybe I departed too soon
It don't take a rocket scientist
To do the old soft shoe on the moon

Slim be havin long ass conversation
Wiff nobody bout nuthin
Catch possum in a box propped up wiff a stick
Have some gumbo wiff a cawnbread muffin

 © John Kennan 11-21-20