A Cable Car Ride

Ridden all the way to Mendocino

I cannot remember It all seems such a blur All the things I thought But never said to her

Walking in San Francisco Arms linked tight together Disappearing in the fog Before noon and sunny weather

She likes music by the Eagles I like cheese and beer Listening to Tavener She was surprised to hear

My instinct was to run I’m used to being free When walking by her side I didn’t know where to be

Walking along Market Street Her sandals fell apart Skipping hidden holes With laughter heart to heart

Eyes gathered in a crowd Curious about her dilemma I had not saved the day And she looked like Cinderella

I teetered on a tightrope How could she ever love me Between whisky and the beer Could I find another way to be

Not predisposed to looking Anxieties every day Can she live happily With all my faults and ways

Whisky offers peace That’s difficult to quit I drink to be a poet And everybody knows it

Songs are drunken verse Poetry of the whisky Down a road that leads too ruin Unless she turns toward me

I’ve always hauled up sails Bobbing above the horizon A loner’s long experience Where stars are always shining

She came to Mendocino I never thought she would Walked the sandy shores We gathered firewood

For the little lies and big ones Told when there was no time Telling the truth of who I am And hope she would be mine

Touching every aspect of my life She took away such pain Letting the heaviness in my heart Fall away like gentle rain