Willie Nelson

Concert Bands – NaPo 2025 Day Twenty-Five

With five days remaining, today I was to write a poem about my experience hearing live music, such as in a professional or amateur concert, and to tell how it moved me.

Unforgettables

Growing up, there was often live music at the bars frequented by my family. I recall some talks I had with musicians when I was too young, but I never learned to play. Not even garages only. Concerts were free at college, and we went. Cool late sixties vibes.

Might have been at the Cash crash when drunk Johnny may have shown or not. Me too.

Mom visited us in Cowtown, downtown, to see Mom’s fav, Marty Robbins, open for Merle (Robbins called him Murial) Haggard, who my wife preferred, I think. Don’t recall if we saw Elvis there before or after, but we did.

Good lawdy, Stella, all these folks ‘er dead. But not Willie. 91. Don’t recall seein’ Willie live, but that don’t mean I didn’t. We been to Abbott. Carl’s Corner, too. We looked. Where’s Willie? I remember. Hell yeah! I was there because it won’t ever happen again.

Willie was in a suit with short hair, performing at The Louisiana Hayride in the late 60s, now that I wear my 55+ memory beanie. It was his pre-outlaw time.

I’m so damn old that all the concerts I wanna go to will be in the cemetery. Ghost concerts? Kinda goth, but what a hoot?

Look both ways and if you can afford five hundred for an old fart’s live concert,
good on ya. Mind the gaps because live music has a time limit.

This is long, but it’s an interesting story when you have the time.

Poetry (sort of, again) — NaPoWriMo: Fix’n ta Pit Stop

The 28th day of NaPoWriMo prompted me to draft a prose poem in the form/style of a postcard. Ain’t it funny, how time drifts away? I got local with vernacular and dialog and supported it with a short video clip.

 

Fix’n ta Pit Stop

Ah war-out ‘tween Austin an Waco, west-a the shinry an’ east a’the hill country. Mah butt was plum give-out. Feelin’ a smidgen puny, ah dismounted. Lucky as all-git-out, seen a big’o swait-tay saloon o’er yonder. It’ud be jist the thang, cuz ah was fixin’ to be flat as a cow-patty, ‘n dry as Odessa. Ah jerked up mah britches, an moseyed o’r to Harly’s Truck Stop. Dark as a big thicket, them ‘boys gimme a look’n over. Ah tipped mah sombrero, “Howdy. How y’all doin’?” “Ah’ite, ah’rite,” and “better’n all git out,” an one oh’boy yelled, “How ‘bout them ka‘boys?” Barkeep smiled, “Wha’cha drinkin’?” “I’ll have Shirly Temple.” Bar goes silent. Bar back says, “She jist left.” Ah near got-down with all the hootin’ and a-hall-erin’. “Well then, how ‘bout cold Lone Star? An gimme some’a-dem chips ‘n sausa.” Ah drank-up ‘n warshed-up, “Been good. Nite-cha-all,” and ah headed out fer Willie’s Place up ‘a road prit’-near Carl’s Corner.

(Bill Reynolds, 4/28/2018)

This is where I live folks. Lest you think I make this shit up:

Ride sober, look both ways, take breaks,
drink un-swait-tay, mind the gaps,
and love Willie.

Click link to National Poetry Writing Month