Horizons of the Heart

[couchgrouch]

Horizons of the HeartMy Daddy useta drop me, at H-Cue's in Half-Moon Baywhere Harry taught me nine-ball, when Dad stayed gone all dayI'd peeked in his pocket, and seen Dad's forty-fiveso I never asked where, he went on those long drivesrumors said he ran labor, along the Frisco shoreowning coin operated hearts of kings and whorestill they found him at low tide, mouth fulla salt n sandsun low upon the ocean, sometimes only twilight expandshorizons of the heartwithin us yet still beyond the starsthey grow more distant as time departsand few naked eyes see as faras horizons of the heartev'ry wave will perish, when it tries to leave the seaso I went with the current, of the blood inside of methe girl I fin'lly married, didn't know my veins at firstit would take more than love, for that tide to be reversedthe night I put three bullets, through some union boss' hatmy wife's eyes were closed in prayer, back home gazing athorizons of the heartwithin us yet still beyond the starsthey grow more distant as time departsfew naked eyes see as faras horizons of the heartI could hear the sea lions, barking on old seal rockwhen I drove home weeks later, after business on the docksI found her shot four times, slipping to the land of dreamsher spirit stuck in the air like frozen steammy heart cried for vengeance, as her eyes went deadbut violence is a casket pillow, for the lost to lay their headso I vanished down the coastline, found the future in my pastI gave Harry a fair price, and saw nothing's as vastas horizons of the heartwithin us yet still beyond the starsthey grow more distant as time departsand few naked eyes see as faras horizons of the heartnow the moon's a sheet full of windpool balls crack in the darktomorrow sails on teardropstoward horizons of the heart(c)2005 Robert George