The mud stains denim
and we slipped upon the slide
steel seemed so innocent those days
a stain now marks where the swings used to stand
where a man once stood there stands a stain
where the swings once stood once stood a man
there was a man
you can’t draw chalk on sand
the stain is all there is
but no-one tells you what it is
no-one tells you who he was
they only tell you what he is
where his stone stands
and his body lies
I remember my first gunshot
a 12 gauge long drawn out sawn off
burning brown bags to keep us so warm
a .38 slug in the wall where we bought our lunch
I remember it fit my finger quite well
I remember 3 gunshots
only one ever hit this wall
and I can’t think who died in the hall
kill slowly
kill oh so slowly
you eliminate waste
you eliminate need
kill softly
kill oh so softly
you suffocate him
you suffocate God
the thunder of the summer a claw upon the sun
the wrath of the moon it struck him down
he had his teeth and three feet of steel
she had an ounce of lead and three pounds of steel
she struck him right between the eyes
he was DOA he was DOA he was DOA
he was DOA
maybe a deathwish
he strangled the dogs of Hell after all
I can’t imagine what was on his mind
you go to the swing you find no stain
where the swing stood you see no man
you can’t imagine what I am
a knife in my thigh
four inches in my thigh
but I still run and I still run
and I can catch the stars as they fade from view
and I will catch these stars remembering you
I’ll catch these stars remembering you
the thunder of the summer a claw upon the sun
the wrath of the moon it struck him down
he had his teeth and three feet of steel
she had an ounce of lead and three pounds of steel
she struck him right between the eyes
he was DOA he was DOA he was DOA
© 2000 rob Hinkal