Prose: she and me

Backgrounder: “Two weeks ago my wife and I drove to Fenelon Falls together - a four-hour drive - to help take care of new twin grand-daughters. Shortly after arriving my wife of nearly 40 years was elbow-deep in diapers, bottles, formula, and lovely chatter with our son, daughter-in-law and Anna and Ella. I couldn’t help but think of our life together.” gaharrison

she and me

the whine of the bandsaw
the smell of fresh-cut cedar
and fine sawdust in his hair,
I notice them all
when I step into my
old husband’s workshop.
check under your hood, lady?
he says after he looks my way.


he always says that
he always says that
he always says that and
means the same thing
as when he first said it
forty years ago.
he smiles and trips
a familiar switch
inside my chest -
he and me.

***

she always knocks
on the screen door of my shop
before she steps inside.
she always knocks and
sometimes I jump - startled -
lost in thought.


check under your hood
seems the right thing to say
before she smiles and asks
if I’d like to stop for tea.
my throat is dusty,
tea would be fine,
I nod.

***

later, we spend time together.
we sit in comfortable chairs
inside my workshop,
we talk almost a perfect shorthand
and with rhyming tones.
we almost breathe as one
we almost breathe as one
she and me.

gah

.

Are You a Rich Man?

Backgrounder: “This song was written about seven years ago but is definitely linked to experiences from the sixties. I read and wrote poetry then, listened to Bob Dylan, enjoyed single malt whisky (beer just wasn’t hip enough for me) and fell in love about every three days. After 39 years of marriage (Aug. 8 anniversary) the answer to the question is yes.” gaharrison

Are You a Rich Man?

1. We met at some party of an old friend of mine,
I was off in a corner just putting in time.
When the smell of perfume, the warm brush of skin,
Awakened my senses, I was glad she walked in.

Chorus:

She thought I was special, more than I was,
The first time we met she was feelin’ the buzz,
From a single malt whisky that I had supplied.
“Are you a rich man?” she asked.
“Yes I am,” I replied.


["Peace and love from the sixties": photo GAH]

2. We went to the kitchen, she was looking for ice.
She asked, “Would you like some?” I said, “You smell nice.”
She laughed at my answer, so I chuckled right back,
If she’d wanted refinement
I would have tried some of that.

3. We were soon tangled up on a warm pile of coats.
She asked, “Are you serious?” I was thinking wild oats.
But we made an excuse, took a cab to my place,
Though I felt my apartment
would be a disgrace.


["I like Dylan, do you?": photo GAH]

4. After seeing my bookcase she said, “You like poetry too.”
“Have you any good music? I like Dylan, do you?”
We spent the night on the couch with the stereo on.
Got married that summer
and the riches live on.

GAH

.

Down To My Toes

Backgrounder: “This is the second or third song I sang in public, other than around a campfire. The melody came before the lyrics on this one. The nice easy tune took me back to the time I first met my wife, and 39 years later we still keep each other’s feet warm at night.” gaharrison

Down To My Toes


[August 8, 1970]

I don’t know how
the power of love grows,
I just know it went down
to my toes when I met you.
Oh, love went down to my toes.
I don’t know why
you caught my eye,
Was it something you said
when you walked on by?
I just know I turned
and you caught my eye.

Chorus:

I don’t pretend
to know it all, girl.
I think what I know
is really quite small.
I’m just glad you stopped to chat
I’m glad our love
started off like that,
And I know love went
down to my toes.

2. I don’t know what I said
when we laughed
I just know things happened
real fast when I met you.
Oh, things happened so fast.
I don’t know
what possessed me to say,
That we get together
the very next day. You said yes.
I’m glad you said yes.

3. I don’t know how you could
hit me like this
Or turn me around
with one little kiss
But you did, you hit me like this.
I don’t know where
we go from here,
I just know I want to be
near when I call you,
I want to be near.

GAH

My Life Without You

Backgrounder: “It sounds like I carry around a heavy load of regret. I don’t. I occasionally remember times (like most people, I'm sure) when I could have been a better person, and reflect on what the absolute worst consequences might have been. Also, I know several people who have gone through a divorce, and it ain't pretty.” gaharrison

1. I don’t know why
I’m all set to cry about you.
I don’t know how
I care ‘bout you now like I do.
I must confess
I never guessed that you’d walk out the door.
I failed to see
what my life would be without you.


I won’t get a chance
to have one last dance or hold you.
I won’t hear our song
and then sing along without you.
I didn’t believe
you’d ever leave and never return.
I failed to see
what my life would be without you.

Chorus:

Now I live all alone
in a old country home without you.
The phone doesn’t ring,
I can’t hear birds sing without you.
When I go for a walk
I miss how we talked like so many times before.
I failed to see
what my life would be without you.

2. Now that you’ve gone
not much gets done without you.
Life doesn’t seem fair
and I don’t really care what I do.
Night seems to come fast
and I dream it’s the last that I’ll sleep all alone.
I failed to see
what my life would be without you.

GAH

.

Life is Better with You

Life is Better with You - Backgrounder: “So, what do you give a girl at Christmas... especially a girl who already has everything? I mean, my wife already gets the house, car, life insurance, my pension, RRSPs and hockey card collection when I die. Oh yeah, and my workshop and all my tools. So, what else can I give her?” gaharrison

1. You are the best of my friends.
Life can be a long, lonely road,
easier when you share the load
and I’m walking with you.

You are the first of those near,
the closest of those I hold dear.
Time often gets slipping away,
you help me live for today
when I’m walking with you.

Chorus;

Like diamonds in the night sky
I see love shine in your eye.
You treat me better than best,
I’m home when you lean on my chest.
Oh, I know I’ve got a good life
and it’s better with you.


2. You are the best of my friends.
Life can be a dark, dreary place,
brighter when I see your face
and I’m talking with you.

You guard the life that we’ve made,
make sure our memories don’t fade.
Time often gets marching along,
you help me feel that I’m strong
when I’m talking with you.

3. You are the best of my friends.
Life can be a challenging trial,
lighter when I see you smile
and I’m laughing with you.

You’ve been much more than a friend,
our good times don’t seem to end.
Time often seems short in a way,
you make life fuller each day
when I’m laughing with you.

GAH

.

Prose: You will laugh and know

The wise words of Wendell Berry, American poet and farmer, were brought to my attention recently while reading Entries, a book of prose published in 1994. One phrase, “we belong to one story”, from the piece below struck a cord in me.



The Blue Robe 



How joyful to be together, alone
as when we first were joined
in our little house by the river
long ago, except that now we have

each other, as we did not then;

and now instead of two stories fumbling
to meet, we belong to one story

that the two, joining, made. And now

we touch each other with the tenderness

of mortals, who know themselves:

how joyful to feel the heart quake

at the sight of a grandmother,
old friend in the morning light,

beautiful in her blue robe!

by Wendell Berry

Backgrounder: “Mr. Berry’s poem reminded me that a grandmother walks quietly past my side of the bed every morning, in her own blue robe, trying not to wake me. She seldom succeeds. After 38 years together we now run by the same internal clock.” gaharrison


You will laugh and know

when I was a young man
I wrote long poems for you.
now that I am older
I write a song or two,
and hope the lines
though short on heat
won’t miss a beat
but catch you by surprise.
and you will laugh and know
our youth is in our eyes.

gah









.