Friday, May 04, 2012

Why Sit There James 2012


this piece is based on a poem by my best friend entitled "Why Sit There James," with the instrumental accompaniment first proposed in 2010.

here's the other links:


here's the full text of the poem:


Why Sit There James

Alexander Agena, Jr.

why sit there James forever dead in that black and white pic
forever flicking that half-finished smoke your eyes

dead set on the ember white burn brooding back in our eyes alighting
your image and you are supposed to be a nasty casualty

of a car crash why James always that bored look is the world too
slow like the gramophone that plays the fall in Four Seasons

sighs of the string section swirling below that auburn hair mingling
with the flair of your troubled roles the world troubled in bending

too much you can't see straight that you had it piped once with a pastor full
of sibilance in his speech probably promised you rain and salvation

and all you got was an awakening to a wedging in of Sodom sweet in its sin
yes they talked about it in Larry King Live your sweetheart confirmed

things you had done trashing your room for trusting in strangers for doping
shooting uppers faking talk shows saying driving too fast isn't safe

caring isn't safe you ran like hell the world couldn't follow couldn't swallow
stars like you falling fast and hard your soul cost millions they printed

your pretty face in posters pictures pin-ups up there in heaven Hollywood
where saints and sinners trade places faster than sideswipes happen

in long roads and runways engines revving up and the down the slope of your life
couldn't slant enough to not keep fans from fielding East of Eden full

even then why sit there James why let scumbags take your photograph and remind
us of your pain if you had stared straight we sure couldn't look back

but you couldn't just sit couldn't let Bach cement you to that sofa had to run
had to race time to halt your age to be as fast as you can be rushing

to the point where seconds become infinitesimal the pedals clutch and rubber
enfolding and the gap in everything becomes nothing but an exploding star

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