The Light
by Edward Storm
i did it my way and it was not easy
like Frank Sinatra like the Old Man
and the Sea I’m out of the dark waters finally
i’m at the docks
the god damned fish is dead and eaten
but i told you it was the biggest–
and i’m sober
so i’m not a liar anymore
my word is like gold now
i am the champion.
here come the beautiful girls
to crown me on these shores,
i think i’ll claim it for you mom,
clarity point.
back up the river
when i was on one
these gorgeous creatures
played me like mp3s
when i needed needles and records,
always more needles from playing
this long and sad record of mine.
i’m finally here
the generational curse goes out with me.
the battle wasn’t easy
long and sad and the type of thing
you never want to see a photo of,
but i stand before you a new man.
yes these women make me want to
denounce human evolution
where were they when i was lonely as it gets
lost on the river with nothing but the booze?
i understand why the only place
i ever saw you wink was at church
i’m baptized in victory,
we are literally engineered to seek the survivors
so forgive me if your kisses are bittersweet,
i thought true love was kissing a man when he’s failing
but it’s not.
oh boy now here comes the tempest bubbles from france
and the cleanest fine gin,
toast.
you still guzzle it down in heaven mother
but here from now on
i hold it in like boxer mouth wash
then spit it out,
and declare myself the champion again,
give the family generational plague
my middle finger.
to stay here forever i must imagine
prying dead fingers off the beefeaters
and raising the middle finger of the loved ones i’ve lost to this disease.
give me your full attention now ladies
the champion is ready to find
the sacred mother of his children.
a good father must go through deep darkness
to ever deliver a place of light for a family.
here i am my love,
i’ve been searching so hard for you my entire broken life,
i think now and for the first time
i’ll let you find me,
but if you now are in your darkest night
please have no fear for you’ll find me,
i’ll keep the light on.
