Encore (Rough Draft)
This is a poem I started working on right after I got back from seeing the band X at the House of Blues the other night with my cousin. He is 17 and was probably the youngest person there. X is an old punk band from LA . They are probably in their 50s or so and got big in Southern California in the early 80s, reaching the edge of what would be called mainstream here. Despite some really good, and accessible songs, they were never as popular outside the region. Anyways, they don’t play many shows anymore because the members all have other stuff going on. The crowd at the show was diverse in many ways, including age. But for being so old, they were pretty damn bouncy and into it. That’d be my inspiration here:
Encore.
Middle-aged mosh pits turn counterclockwise.
Buttons break off plaid shirts with collars and fall
To the sticky concrete floor. Grey as the hair of the
Men and women. Spinning spitting, bouncing,
Busting with nostalgia. Women wear too-tight jeans
And too much-makeup and fan themselves with
Flyers announcing upcoming shows starring bands
They’ve never heard of and they smile inside (still got it)
When passing men with country club goatees
Grab their ass, which happens to be the most convenient
On the sweaty sojourn from the barrier to the bar and back.
And all of them smile on the outside and their eyes light
Up in the half-light between bands at that first whiff
Of marijuana through the must and mint of mojitos
On special tonight for only six bucks. This crowd knows
That middle-aged mosh pits turn counterclockwise.
And for a few hours it forgets that clocks don’t.
Comments and criticism highly encouraged.
Also, I really do highly recommend X. They were discovered by Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek back in the day and play a sort of roots/rockabilly inspired punk rock with duel (male and female vocals). The singers, John Doe and Exene Cervanka met at a poetry workshop. So the lyrics are always sharp, occasionally scary, and often hilarious.
Or watch this video from the 80s. It’s a live performance of their song Los Angeles. It might be one of their their most popular tunes but it’s not the greatest recording. Unfortunately, having your name be a letter of the alphabet makes search engines kind of difficult. So young musicians, keep that in mind.
