ACROSS
THE SWAMP
OF TIME
by Rawclyde!
Part One
I'm smokin'
jus' jokin'
about the space before
the 1st cave man's yawn.
I'm walkin'
jus' stalkin'
the "time" before
the 1st early dawn.
I'm jus' trippin'
now I'm slippin'
off the ski jump
of a dinosaur's nose.
Now I'm fallin'
without stallin'
into the earliest space
where nothin' comes or goes.
Time don't flow
rhyme is slow
nobody's here to receive
a "hello" nod.
I'm so alone
just a floatin' stone
but I can feel
the shadow of God.
And here's eternity
n' here's infinity
n' here I am floatin' in
the middle of their far out kiss.
But I'm not elated
nothin's been created
just floatin' in peace
with nothin' to miss.
Yeeeap, nothin' to miss
drifting in this kiss
the fricken' Garden Of Eden
hasn't even been made.
No planet in sight
there ain't no light
no promises yet
promising sun or shade.
Just a sleeping God n' me
oh so mellow n' free
oh yes, and one more thing causes
this space to fit like a glove.
I'm still smokin'
but not really jokin'
'cause that one more thing,
my sweet thing, is your love...
Part Two
What's below my feet
war on the concrete
ants fightin' ants 'til
thousands die in misery?
Strip my soul
tickle my goal
yours truly is somersaulting
into ancient history.
It ain't no bull
I'm Hannibal
riding on an elephant
I'm the highest general around.
I ride so high
the Alps do cry
n' Roman soldiers bury
their heads in the ground.
I'm so unruly
'tis recorded truly
a mother's baby is born
with an elephant's head.
At Carthage, my home
I laugh all alone
when my war is lost n'
my people weep with dread.
The moon glows
the wind blows
I'm jus' sittin' in a room now
surrounded by the Middle Ages.
The noise outside
proves somethin's died
unable to understand freedom
men forever are rattling their cages.
In the gloomy doom
of the smokey room
I'm a mad mad saint
concentrating on the Holy Truth.
The journey is far
to the inner star
finally I, Saint Augustine, smile
n' you can see every tooth.
I whip out my pen
n' do the world in
with prose n' prose n' prose
about my love for the Lord.
The book is complete
I creak to my feet
walk out the door n' duck
the devil's flashy sword.
An ant in a college
readin' half-cooked knowledge
pinches a purple dream hello
n' now I'm Clyde Collins on the road.
I'm jus' smokin' a cob
restin' after a job
parked at a curb in El Paso when
love for those walkin' by eases my load.
Sweet love without fail
attacks 'gain in jail
when I plead for one glass of water
n' a black man brings back three.
But it ain't nothin'
next to your lovin'
n' compared to the travel I travel
when lookin' at the blue eyes of thee...
Part Three
The faucet is drippin'
the minutes are slippin'
as we sit here holding
each other's hand.
Outside in the night
I hear traffic fight
and swear I feel like
the 1st cave man ~
Sittin' before his fire
his brains climbing higher
'til suddenly he knows
his ancestors are the stars.
So you n' I grow old
many futures unfold
oops, we're dead now
buried with all our scars.
The earth is revolvin'
our bodies dissolvin'
time is somersaulting
itself into shreds.
We're jus' floatin'
our souls smokin'
pickin' up debris n'
left-over threads.
We're grinnin' too
spinnin' so true
two giant planets now
in an other realm farrrrrrr out.
We travel together
sharin' our weather
our winds whisper love n'
storms celebrate with a shout.
Fields of grass grow
suns come n' go
a blazing comet sweeps by
and oh my it is Jesus.
Stars are smokin'
angels are jokin'
a great cosmic gate unbolts
n' thru it the comet leads us.
My head bows low
there's too much glow
been runnin' 'cross the swamp of time
now I'm fallin' outta my chair.
I'm done smokin'
my brain's broken
heaven is heaven is oh heaven
n' you sittin' with me puts me ~ there!
(Copyright Clyde Collins 1980/2010)