summer song

last Friday I went to

a birthday party gig

to celebrate BD’s birthday

(only three weeks late)

there was a Dylan covers band

with a singer

with white face

hat with feather

black waistcoat

 .
long scarf

skinny jeans

high-heeled boots

et al.

who looked uncannily like

BD of Rolling Thunder period

17 people came

knock out the band’s wives and molls

that left an audience of 13

.
what a way to treat BD!

I said two poems

including the one below

It was written in  St Albans

in 1970

it was nearly one am

and I was walking back

after seeing a young woman

(a possible future amour?)*

home

the sound of Dylan

was coming from

Ginger Mills’ portable player

with a shoulder strap

you posted 45s like 

letters through a slot

and it automatically played

I’d never seen one before

and haven’t since

and it was given to Ginge

by a young Tom Petty

American girl

who was visiting Snorbens

Ginge and I met

at the top of Holywell Hill

by which time he was

playing LIttle Richard

it’s an abiding memory

of Ginge**

which

I’ll never forget

.

J

.

* the romance hardly started

.

    but ended very painfully

summer song

 

dream night moonlight

and the tall old houses

silent on the steep hill

a distant wireless

crackles over the balmy air

sends Dylan rockin an rollin

through the ancient alleys

of the city

how does it feel?

sweet as the scent of mimosa

rising from the brick-walled gardens

how does it feel?

soft as the darkling breeze

stirring the wall-hung ivy

to be on your own?

so peaceful under this bright wide sky

with no direction home?

following the north star

and the swimming moon

a complete unknown?

among the unknown night strollers

slipping quietly to their beds

like a rolling stone?

gathering nothing

on these concrete pavements

but happy this summer night

the song fading

the streets emptying

tired and singing

.

.

.

…

Jeff Cloves
Pic: Claire Palmer

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