A LOST CONVERSATION WITH MR. MALKOVITCH

A busted-up wheelchair

on cracked concrete.

Just another day waiting

for a call from St. Pete.

Pants soiled.

Eyes open.

God won't take my calls.

No coffee, no cigarettes.

Just wondering where it all went wrong.

A life of memories and too many regrets.

I fought your damned war

along with all the other vets.

The doctor told me I need pills

but never said who'd pay the bill.

Told I gotta work

by a guy in a suit who doesn't know

the meaning of the word.

Demons in my head. The Devil on my mind.

Social media says AI will end mankind.

What's left to lose?

My eyes? My sight?

My ears are ringing

and have been all night.

You gaze right past me.

Just walk on by.

Never a kind word.

No Hello. No good-bye.

The temperature is falling

just not fast enough.

The sun refuses

to let me give up.

I push myself further

my legs a mere joke.

A mile in a day.

I heard the Lord spoke -

to dozens or hundreds

or thousands or more.

Yet no one was listening.

They all locked their doors.

Nothing left in my stomach

to puke, piss, or shit.

They say the end is nigh.

I say get on with it.

Is this how it ends?

Alone and forgotten?

I did as I was told

but it's all turned out rotten.

A busted-up wheelchair

on cracked concrete.

I've got a flat tire

and sores on my seat.

Walk on by

walk on by

Dash away, all!

Dreams of vacation

or the belle of the ball.

No, I'm not crazy

but I seem it, I'm sure.

I once was a baby

sweet, innocent and pure.

A generation ago

a life of hard knocks.

God closed all the windows

and the doors are all locked.

Misery and tedium

too tired for despair.

I tried to check into

the clinic

but couldn't handle the stairs.

Just a busted-up wheelchair

like an Olds up on blocks.

Broken and bleeding

dashed on the rocks.

Comments

My Books

I won't lie. I sorta kinda need this post for my LinkTree thing. 😂 But since you're here, I'll guess you have some curiosity about my books. Here ya go! Just click on the cover and it should take you to the Barnes & Noble site (if you're so inclined). Thanks! - MM This is pretty much where it started. A collection of short stories. I've been pleasantly surprised at how well-received it's been. There are moments when something changes. Not dramatically. Not all at once. Just enough to notice. A conversation that feels slightly off. A familiar place that no longer feels quite the same. A small event that lingers longer than it should. In BODIES, Michael C. Metzger explores those quiet turning points where ordinary lives brush against the strange, the unsettling, and the unexpected. These eighteen stories are rooted in familiar ground: small towns, aging neighborhoods, workplaces, relationships, late-night conversations, and everyday routines. Beneath the sur...

Uninvited

If you know me, you know I'm a musician. Damned near 50 years treading the boards making noise. Just like any other commercial venture, there are certain sales and marketing strategies involved with being a musician. One of the most basic and necessary being the demo tape. Back in my youth, the demo tape was usually a cassette; often recorded live. It gave the prospective purchaser (usually some guy at a bar who really didn't give a shit) an idea of how an act sounded, and what they could expect should they choose to hire ya. Over the years, the demo tape itself became more polished. Some used it as a tool to garner interest from managers, publicists, producers and record execs. The issue I always had with these was that they were inherently dishonest. Rather than displaying how an artist actually sounded, it instead put forth an idea of what they could sound like - given perfect circumstances. Such conditions rarely exist. By the late 80s, some of us used a VHS tape o...

Clearing up the Great Gretsch/Rockabilly Sham!

I've had a long-standing friendly argument with a couple of friends about guitars. This has gone on for 20+ years. We're all pickers, and we're all usually lumped under the rockabilly category too. They both love Gretsch guitars. I can take them or leave them. Rockabilly fans have asked me many times why I don't play a Gretsch, which is often associated with rockabilly music. First, I point out that what I play ain't exactly rockabilly. Sure, there's a definite rockabilly influence...but there's also blues, jazz, surf, garage, punk, country, Tex-Mex, and even some Gypsy & African influences in my music. A Gretsch just ain't gonna cut it. Don't get me wrong, Gretsches have their place and their own, unique sound. But...for a picker who is coming from the afore-mentioned influences, a Gretsch just ain't gonna cut it. The new Gretsches, mostly reissues, are well-made guitars. MUCH better made than the original ones, which tended to ...

The Real Memphis Mike (don't settle for imitations)

Search This Blog