my lyrics

 Before my retirement life was so hectic I couldn't write stories. The discord was unreal. I used my creative impulses to write song lyrics, mainly to keep my hand in. Bonus: This kind of writing helps one make a habit of word economy. I don't read, play, or sing music. None of my family and friends do. So these samples of my lyrics are just a partial record of past activity. They have been praised by some, and disparaged by others. Here is a sampling:

1. Daisy Plumtree, Lady Outlaw

Daisy Plumtree was a lusty one,
She loved an old buffalo gun.
She'd shoot her round,
Then stand her ground,
Where many men might run.

If her ways was rough and raw,
She learned it from her paw;
Who killed eight men,
Then made it ten,
Which set his fate with the law.

She was Daisy Missy Plumtree
Rough and ready
Rode the outlaw trail
To rob the outbound mail
Missy Daisy Daisy Plumtree
(repeat)

She went on the lam in Mexico
And fell in with Two Feathers Crow
She leaned her gun
In Crow's wigwam
Made from hides of buffalo

But the soldiers killed her man
He was crossing the Rio Grande
Daisy got hung
Before she swung
Said Daisy Crow is who I am

She was Daisy Missy Plumtree
Rough and ready
Rode the outlaw trail
To rob the outbound mail
Missy Daisy Daisy Plumtree

2. Little Songs

When the world runs out of wrongs
I’ll be writing no more songs
But for now
I say wow
Business is very good

I’ll keep writing little songs
‘Til there’s peace in battle zones
‘Til congress notes
The change with votes
Until then I must conclude

When a child’s peaceful at night
When love’s a symbol not might
No hunger
No danger
Until then I’ll just be rude

I’ll keep writing little songs
Loud enough to rattle bones
To spit it out
In one big shout
Until then I must conclude

When folks die of poverty
The wrong ideology
Jealousy
Notoriety
Until then I’ll just be crude

I’ll keep writing little songs
Its my way to battle wrongs
To spit it out
In one big shout
Spit it out
One big shout
Spit it out
One big shout
Spit it out

3. Once Upon a Perfect Time

Cold yellow walls, chandeliers like diamonds.
Your body still and silent as a range of ancient tired mountains.
Attend to me, Love; can you feel it; the sadness in our holy mansion?
See, the listless ghost of beauty walks these lonely halls
And the dust of her passing lifts then slowly falls,
Meeting with your flesh and turning gray and ashen.
You look upon her the way any prisoner looks upon the warden,
Then wilt inside your tiny cell, for you know full well there will be no pardon.
Will you sit with me; rise up My Love; come out into the garden.
The sun will be shining there as I comb out your tangled hair
And braid it into a rope the size and length you wore it as a maiden.

Ah, every star`s a wishing star;
Dream you`re my princess; you are.
It was once upon a perfect time,
Your eyes were cast on mine.
Your hair descended like a jacob`s ladder.
I climbed into your den.
We lay down in perfect zen.
But now the forces of destiny gather.

And your body is cold, though the sun`s ablaze like diamonds.
My soul aches for you, My Love, even as it roves to look for future mansions.
We are betrayed by time and death, dear Murdered Rose. I must burn this house of pretensions.
The dogs of loss sniff outside the door impatiently,
Smell your flesh so sweet. Don`t feel hate for me
As I spill upon the floor in floods the gasoline, don`t mention
How your magic gave to me selfish love, oh bird in detention.
See the flames embrace the timbers and lace, then hug the lovely statue in the garden.
As I haste to leave, Good-bye, My Love, I know a mansion afar that`s waiting.
Animals dance without care for the sleeping maiden there
Whose love is a golden award for the one invading.

And every star`s a wishing star;
Dream you`re my princess; you are,
Every once upon a time,
Every once upon a perfect time.
See her on the bed asleep, My Love.
See; she lies so still and pure;
Our love will be cement and sure,
This one more once upon a perfect time.

dirty boy

toadstools of life 

on the forest floor

looking up, always up

with murdered dreams 

in pools of blood

        i was a dirty little boy

i was not allowed to grow

so I was the dirty boy

fifty years or so

     but never surrendered

self worth

My book EndEarthers

 It gets many responses. Most have been favorable. I got one DNF (did not finish) and one three stars on Amazon. But this one response makes every second I've spent writing worth it. 

Hi Charles! I just wanted to reach out and share that I just had a mental breakdown that caused me to be in the psych ward for the past 6 days (just got out yesterday). While I was in there, I finally had time to read again, so I read your book EndEarthers as a means of distraction from my thoughts and it really helped a lot. It also helps that it's so far a really great read and I wish more people with your perspective wrote as well. So I just want to thank you for writing it because it helped me stay sane.

Musk's 13th Child.

 This is evocative of the process Teapot used on his roaches in EndEarthers (Teapot's Empire).

Spacer: The Last of the Species

This morning I wrote the last sentence of a first draft. This one is a tale of a man five years alone after the final world war. The ETs waiting to inherit the planet are stymied because Spacer won't die. Their creed forbids taking over until he is gone. Another catch: They are not allowed to kill him. An ET representative comes down to see what he can do about it. Spacer is roughly modeled after Charles Bukowski with notable exceptions at the beginning. He and a dog that he fears live in partnership scavenging the city. Ten and a half thousand words at this point. Editing will likely be rough, not because of mistakes but because quite a few passages need restructuring.  

Turner On Writing

You can ignore this voice of the not-formally educated if you like. I left the system as I was about to turn sixteen. I was a reader all of my life until my eyes became too weak. My knowledge of grammar and my understanding of words are based on what I picked up from various authors, not Strunk and White. When I edit a story, I read as one reads any author, looking for the flow, stumbling on errors, and cluttered language. I do this as often as necessary. I opt for simple words because ornate paragraphs confuse me and cause me to lose interest. Also, simplicity makes editing easier. When I wrote my last book I wrote as I normally speak, then cleaned up overly sloppy portions, while retaining my original voice. My subject matter rarely calls for research, making the simple simpler. Lastly, I use the free version of Grammarly, which is overly intrusive, but it helps the way a thesaurus and a dictionary help. Grammarly can screw up a sentence if you don't watch it carefully. Lastly, I write what I want to write. If it sells, great. If not - Well, it may be discovered and made use of in some future I am not a part of. Good luck if you too are a writer.   

SNOW SNOW GLORIOUS SNOW

 27 degrees, flakes on the ground.

My dog runs in the snow.

Frank the cat is hiding somehow.

Don't know where he would choose to go

Snow snow, Houston snow

What did we do, it abuses so

Snow snow f**k the glorious snow

The 1950 version

 This is how Highway 61 Revisited might sound if recorded in 1950.

Butter and Salt

 My favorite cooking utensil is my cast iron skillet. For years I struggled to keep it seasoned. Lately I discovered via Youtube that the answer is olive oil and salt. I didn't want to use up what olive oil I had on hand. Since the skillet often has a residue of butter, I substituted that for olive oil. Works like a charm. Just heat the skillet, put in some butter and salt and scrub it down, using no other ingredient. Wipe it out. I doubt if any system is perfect, but I'm satisfied with the results I get.

A DOG NAMED RINGO

 Protect your pet they said. If you are cold they are cold, they said. So it's in the thirties and the heat is on. So where's the dog? Out running the yard. Came in for a quick snack, held it in his mouth and went to the door to be let out. I told the shelter when we adopted he would mostly stay indoors. Not this dog. He lives in the yard. I make him sleep indoors but he would stay outside if I let him. ?????????

Ringo is a Shepherd mix, the only dog I have had with ears that stand up. His original owner may have kept him tied in the yard. Something has made him occasionally whistle, as though a rope or choke chain was yanked too hard or perhaps running until the rope checked his speed. He is independent; if you tell him to do something he doesn't do it unless he wants to or gets bribed with a snack. But he has separation anxiety as exhibited each time I unlock the gate and leave the yard. He does seem to love me because during his indoor time he hangs close and naps near my feet.

   

A Complete Unknown

 About A Complete Unknown: I love the guy playing Dylan. Somebody else should be Pete Seger. If you go in looking for facts beyond the meteoric rise of Dylan the artist not much is on a proper timeline or perspective. The greatest departure is his romance with Suze. And last meet with Woody. Still I highly recommend it first as an intro to early Dylan and second because it draws fans back to the time when we first noticed and were hooked for life.

Xmas is Over

 I hope one and all had a holiday such that your life was lifted in some way - Maybe exhausted, but satisfied and willing to repeat each year always. Here's hoping the coming year will be good to you.

Santa's Carol

 Stave One

It was night on the Eve,

My friends who believe.

Santa's weight did creak

The old sled unique

When he went aboard to steer

Those eight magic deer.

The deer were champing;

The elves were stamping,

Cheering liftoff imminent.

Santa returned the sentiment.

The bag was loaded,

Full to near exploded.

The swirled, piled, sheets of white

Glimmered neath the gleams of light

Cast by stars in the sylvan night,

Startled by sled, deer, and Santa in sudden flight.

STAVE TWO

Santa chugged Mylanta, Alka Seltzer, Pepto, and Tums

Yelled at the reindeer, "Faster ya bums!"

The sleigh was hot with friction smokin',

As it lit on roofs and waited for Santa to place a token

In each stocking and beneath each tree,

No time to take even a pea

(There was pea salad on Andy Smith's table).

The elements of night were growing unstable.

Santa rolled up his sleeves:

"Gotta serve every child who believes,

From one to nine hundred and one,

Get all in on the fun."

STAVE THREE

In the still sylvan night

Perchance a swinging light

What or who this Holiest hour

With lantern a-glower

Puts foot before foot

Entrants boot by boot

Moon-dapple bower

What eyes sweep the room

Broomstraw across the gloom

Peruse yon sleeping tadpole

Gloved hand pulls out of the hole

In his bag a fragment of star

To place it in center of the scar

Of moonlight across the blanket scroll

STAVE FOUR

Pirate Pete hid among the rocks

Inside the many slopes and pocks

Listening for the swoosh of approaching sleigh and deer.

He lolled across the coarse stone sipping foaming beer.

In his hand a lasso to trap the fat man's ride,

A sword and pistol pressing his side.

"Swoo-" He hears it on high.

"-oosh'. He flings his rope to the sky.

With a twang the line grows taught;

Santa, elves, and deer are caught.

"Har," the delighted pirate cries;

"I've got you for all your lies.

Telling folks the reindeer are boys,

Giving out on the savior's birth mere toys;

I could make you walk a plank.

Arrr, in fact, my ship just sank.

Would ye be for giving a poor pirate lad a ride?

I'll take it and swallow my pride."

"Get in young man," spoke stern Santa.

"Folks like you make me need Mylanta.

What's this guff that I'm a liar?

The truth of Christmas is life's fire,

With a little harmless fun.

Hey, look what I've done.

I don't mean to make you cry, friend.

Take this gift and let our argument end."

"Arr; I'm a pirate; I can never change.

In the end, I'm gonna rob you though it seems strange.

Can you keep me an appointment for the mid of May?

For I intend to waylay you on the one called May Day."

"Certainly, I can;

Here shake my hand."

He let Pete down

And turned the sleigh around.

"Adios, you pirate," he yelled.

"Open your gift; it's swell."

The pirate removed the patch from his one eye

He opened the gift and began to cry.

"Arr, a teddy bear,

With curly brown hair.

Thank you, Santa Claus.

We'll not fight; there's no cause."

And Santa cried "Hi yo reindeer"

And sailed into a sky serene and clear.

STAVE FIVE

Next went sleigh and crew

To the lands of gloom and grue,

Where the heart of the season

Knows not spirit's treason;

But ministers to wrath and rue.

"Santa," said one elf named Joe,

"There's a child whose father says no

When asked if there is love named Santa.

The child has no gift;

He's not on the list.

Oh, Santa, what is the answer?"

Santa clucked sadly with woe;

"There is no answer friend Joe;

For magic dust I sprinkle

To make their hearts twinkle;

But, I cannot alter the nature

Of despair, of disbelief and failure

If hearts are closed and avenues cut off."

He choked with a sob and a cough.

That one's meager Christmas they served,

That one they lost the nerve.

Another one slept in booze and pills,

Soon to forget his worldly ills.

And when they left the plain of gloom and sadness

It left a stain on all their remaining gladness.

STAVE SIX

On the fly again

Santa rests, a toddy in hand.

He notes young Linda moved without warning;

She lived at the house below just this morning.

He sends elf Joe to reconnoiter

Searching here and across the border.

She's here, Joe signals;

It's the girl with the pigtails.

They swoop; they land.

Asleep in the sand

The whole family huddled.

The elf's approach, befuddled.

I don't understand why some must hide.

And Joe the elf stood back and cried.

STAVE SEVEN

'Round the globe in a twinkling

These stories are but an inkling

Of all the wonder encapsulated

In a journey love instigated

And where the sleigh landed and still

Runners burned holes in the ice like a hot grill.

All the jewels in the crown of the season

Form an afterglow more lasting than sight or reason.