Leonard Cohen - Bird on the Wire (live performance 1972)
Cohen
dirges on,
If I, if I have been unkind,
I hope that you can just let it go by. …
And drink in hand, tears in eyes,
his mournful song does naught but
deepen my distress.
It is the
knowing that cruel words
spat out with
such finesse,
so
delicate in aimed precision,
so skillful, artfully
used to cut nerve deep,
pierced
your very being, rocked your self-esteem,
keeps you
away from the want of me.
I first
well with this, triumph-filled -
but then derision
framed in sweet revenge
for such a
meagre sin, rebounds,
mocks me
from within,
conscience
pricked sword turns in upon itself.
I have to
ask myself –
is this
self-pity or self-contempt,
do I
exempt myself from all but perfect love,
am I hurt
for you or am I hurt for me?
(But I swear by this song
And by all that I have done wrong
I will make it all up to thee.)
Is slight for slight worth all of
this?
God how I long for you,
yearn soft kisses lip on lip,
bodies moulding hip on hip.
Forgive me; forgive me please.
Please, please take me back
as I do so love you so (heart and
soul)
and I have saved me, saved me,
saved all my ribbons,
saved all my ribbons for thee.
I am so
sorry.
Anna :o]
Mary’s
prompt tonight at dVerse is that of Leonard Cohen and Place.
I was first
introduced to Leonard Cohen by my (ex) brother-in-law and immediately fell in
love with his words, his gravely voice and all that was him. As teenagers do I would play him at full
blast, after opening my bedroom windows, so that the entire world could take a
share of him, know of him.
The above
poem is a true story and relates to a time when I (publicly) said hateful
things to my handsome one – the man I was eventually to marry. It was slight for slight – but my venom was
totally uncalled for and he ‘broke up’ with me and for ten awful days we were
apart.
After much
pleading with his mother (on the phone) he agreed to speak to me and we met up
again. During these ten days he had
grown a hairy caterpillar above his top lip and later a full beard followed and
he remains my hairy handsome one to this very day.
Although I
love Leonard – I would not recommend anyone listen to some of his songs if
depressed and in charge of alcohol – for tis true you will become more
depressed.
PS Not
quite happy with the final stanza – will probably tinker with it on a daily
basis.