Long Orbison Poems

dang,
grandma    was a real hubba bubba-
killer-diller
khaki wacky   boycrazygirl

a spiffy    hot damn    hoofer

during the dark hours of WWII
and the devastation
followed with
unrestrainedjubibilation
beat me daddy eight to...

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The great Elvis Presley stole the show
When it came to music, fast and slow

Patsy Cline could sing so sweet and fine
Without a doubt, her voice would shine

Hank Williams had a son with his name
Like father,...

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Venus de Milo gave up the banjo
She left the band with the Invisible Man
Never had a leg to stand on, stand on
Saw Galileo hanging with J-Lo
Singing "Life On Mars" out under the stars
Lead guitar was...

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cyou ramble with his poetry
book after book
but you are not a rose,
you are not a thorn
neither virgin, nor the whore
of his better days
under neon lights
and the sweat of inspiration

crying with Orbison and Lang
the touch that...

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A song came on the jukebox and we listened with intent
He sang "Only The Lonely" with a voice that was heaven sent
I was only in eighth grade, a few years from being a man
There was...

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Bill Haley gave us 'Rock Around The Clock'
showed us music in a different way,
Chuck Berry sang 'Johnny B. Goode'
and Buddy Holly said 'That'll Be The Day'.

Elvis went to 'Heartbreak Hotel'
and came back as the king...

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I wake from a bad dream 
Hey there new man
That’s what they said to me
Hey there how’s it been lately?
I stand, look and see

Elvis, Martin Luther King and John Lennon walk on by so casually.
Roy...

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I was in the middle of a PowerPoint
About Pastafarianism
Then I noticed someone in the corner
Not paying attention

Lost, looking tired
I heckled to him
"Paul, quick, candy-coloured clown..."
He found the song on his laptop

I checked the speakers and...

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You’ve come out this evening 
For a wee, delicious bite
Drink fine wine, meet new friends
Your expectation? A fabulous night

Our farm is Vergenoegd Löw 
It’s an interesting, unusual designation
Give me a minute to clear the mystery...

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Entry for the Golden Age of Music Poetry Contest, sponsored by Oliver McKeithan, March 2025, Second Place.


I dreamed of Johnny Cash last night,
his music spoke to me,
I said I thought that you were dead,
but music...

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In dreams, I always wanna walk with Roy,
I think that my scary feelings ain't right.
I'm just running scared like a silly boy -
alone, so lonely, this feeling tonight.

Tell me, are you as lonely as can...

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“Heavenly shades of night are falling,”
yet I’m feeling so blue.
for I have found only one way
that I can be with you.

“I’ve just closed my eyes again”
and my mind is taking flight.
It’s willing you to come
“help...

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And suddenly understand you're underwater
Flapping, snap-coral beneath someone's paradise
Bung-lusting rope towards parallax sunslick
then smacking the sole of your swollen left foot
with an empty Coke bottle, the driver's advice
While cursing the urchins in firstling jerk Tagalog....

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fireball friday,
hello
you know i did not
miss you at all
the cool air freezes
my eyes favorably
foggy
i relax inside the
zonule of aftermath
paradise
with green tea
ginger ale in hand
and carelessness
concrete in stature,
i start the hose and
retire that fireball
that is merciless...

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With incense burning, 
she ponders life, 
its many questions, 
questions with no answers. 

Why is she here, 
why is there so much pain, 
what will become of her, 
those that love her, fear? 

Roy Orbison;...

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Tonight,
A pretty older mother,
At my retirement community's July 4th summer concert,
Speaks to her daughter with a thick Korean accent.

The Traveling Wilburys tribute band plays songs by
The Wilburys, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison,...

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Sung to the tune "Only the Lonely" by Roy Orbison 


Yum-Yum-Yum-Yumdy-doo-wah 
Ooh-yay-yay-yay-yeah 
Oh-oh-oh-oh-wah
Only the Bologna  
Only the Bologna

Only Bologna (Yum-Yum-Yum-Yumdy-doo-wah)
Knows I don't need bread tonight (ooh-yay-yay-yay-yeah)
Only the Bologna (yum-yum-yum-yumdy-doo-wah)
A touch of mustard, seems so...

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