Nirvana and So Much More

BY PUMA PERL

Before we were rudely interrupted

we played some great shows

Max’s Reunions

Pandemoniums

Café Bohemia

Attended a bunch, too

MC5

Bush Tetras

Blondie

Did a lot of poetry readings

Wrote a book

Contributed to The Villager

Reviewed the Tribeca Film Festival

Late night dinners at Veselka

Gallery openings

Museums

And so much more

Everything remaining

has reopened

but I have not

Is depression a baseline

or just an excuse?

Is our culture

fading from our touch

while I breathe and bitch?

Am I moving quickly

from “Senior” to “Elderly”

or is it all the same,

meaning everything

and nothing at all

When I think of bliss

and Nirvana

all I see is Kurt Cobain,

his head cracked open

by a guitar

I don’t understand

some people’s ideas

of friendship

Do I take out the trash

or tolerate the garbage?

Everything came back

and nothing returned

RD Laing considered

insanity a sane response

to an insane society

I consider my depressed response

to the emptiness

where cherry blossom trees

once bloomed

outside my window

a step above reasonable

There are two Beatles left

Lucinda and Dylan

Sonny Rollins

Ron Carter

and I’m afraid

that writing their names

will take them out

Not that I think

I’m very powerful

Richard Lewis

has Parkinson’s

I will search

for a shade called

“Lipstick from Hell”

while he’s still alive

to claim ownership

I’m sorry

for this fucked up poem

but it’s better

than a cracked guitar

on a trembling hand

and a bright red lipstick

can help one make it

through a day.

© puma perl, 04/26/23

—END—

Chelsea Community News is an independent, hyperlocal news, arts, events, info, and opinion website made possible with the help of our awesome advertisers and the support of our readers. Our Promise: Never a paywall, no pop-up ads, all content is FREE. With that in mind, if circumstances allow, please consider taking part in our GoFundMe campaign (click here). To make a direct donation, give feedback, send a Letter to the Editor, or contact our founder/editor, email Scott Stiffler via scott@chelseacommunitynews.com.

To join our subscriber list, click here. It’s a free service providing regular (weekly, at least) Enewsletters containing links to recently published content. Subscribers also will be sent email with “Sponsored Content” in the subject line.  That means it’s an exclusive message from one of our advertisers, whose support, like yours, allows us to offer all content free of charge.