chloe sings the blues

chloe sleeps
until the moon
colors her tail any color
but white

then she stretches
like their goodbyes
and sits
patient as ice
waiting for seven year bourbon
her eyes
repeating stories
about those nights
how he sings better
drunk
and within
the guitar of her
grin


she sighs
it's too soon
i can't stand the noon
it's just not the same shade
of his eyes
he's still sleepin'
but i'm done dreamin'
chloe
sing me the blues



only two things a man
can't live without
a woman and her cat

sumpin' bout an itch
just gotta get scratched
like old records
and the bumptey bump
bumpety bump
tween little rock
and memphis


yeah i miss that gal
and that furry lil' cat
that purrs them blues
finer than bar-b-que
down on beale
on a satdiddy night

barefoot after midnight
and the moon slantin'
her sunday mornin' eyes
like a choir girl
with a lil'
to confess

yeah chloe
sing me sum blues



and chloe knows
about that hat
the one she wore
waiting on bus number 142
it wasn’t their fault
her whiskers reply
these things just happen
to you

she nods
at the small face
kinder than an starry ozark sky
but this house already
has two
i’m bound to this brick heart
this roof
this ring
and that until death do you part
sorta thing


i think her name is jan
and he’s her memphis man
and she’ll own him autumn
winter and spring
but come summer
when he’s a’travelin’
between wichita and abilene
i’ll fall a’sleepin
listenin’ to him softly sing


but until then
while the moon
is a bottle of glue

chloe sing me those sugar sweet blues



i love when the girl
makes this black cat
moan
wailin' in that darkness
til the light of day
and the way
she opens me up
that hip-shake babe
brighter than
an august moon

and i will forget
the slicing absence
and frosted pumpkin gnomes
say goodbye to cold turkey
corn canned family
and let my jeans fade
in her blues
in her scratch
in her bones

the stars in her eyes
the roof of her thighs
watchin' her swing
beyond this
broken ring
when neon
and chloe collide
there is nothing left
but this slow-burn
dance of the damned
of hello
and always goodbye

god
i got the blues



chloe
i’m so sorry
you know i tried to go
leave this withering shell
but i’m afraid of what happens
when dishes start crashin’
and oh in his blue eyes
shines the sadness of hell

so i’ll just hold you
like i’ve held him
and maybe
just for a spell
i won’t miss you
and tell jan
no
i’m not ready

for chloe is still singin’ the blues



man
i miss that cat
but i'll shed some more hair
down the bumpety bump
and melt some more cubes
on this loveseat
gone cold

meebe a lil' coltrane
to put me in her mood
and try to forget
them sunday mornin' eyes
half open
for me
half closed
for him
and someday
i'll tell her
with my slide
on
that finger

i'll play sum blues for you



and again past the summer
no green left in her eyes
she says:
chloe
i only have you

and again pass the summer
as his last smile dies
he says:
chloe
i only have you


and though the night is still a'swingin'
and though the sun is still a'beamin'
only the stars can hear the singin'
a'singin' of those little chloe blues