"end of summer"

"end of summer"
written at the end of summer by jake kilroy.

monument curves of heat waves aglow
broke open my chest cavity
and the sunshine blinded us all
in the sparkling light of a picture show
sometime before the locked doors
of an aching heart shook down
all the walls that were painted
in springtime between the sun and moon,
under a rainforest of clouds,
swollen with angels.

i had rags for clothes and tricks for days,
as the yellow sky screamed until it was blue in the face.
this station played christian, this station played punk,
and i just drawled words i saw on the silver screen
in some french floozy flick i caught
on my broken strut to mexico for good.

this was a tattooed curse from the start,
out in the desert shine of a summertime meltdown,
with the big city we all saw in childhood dreams
rolling out the red carpet tongue to lick wounds
that are still filled to the salt-encrusted brim
with confetti and ticker tape from the parade.

where were you when we all set fire to our skulls?
when did you beat out your coat and watch the money fly?
how were we supposed to know better when we were just learning?

let's just rev the engine and crack the window,
tie spurs to our heels and kick out a tickle
of the american flag to get one more laugh from uncle sam
and his hired gun goons that skulk the wasteland like shadows
before we swing from the mountaintops of this wide-open country.

we just want our last meal to go down as smooth as blood-wine,
taking it all down like smart-ass demons cooling off in a saloon,
tossing back shots of guilt and wreckage to beat the heat,
but we can't ever quit the day job because we like the work.

so this jack-knife smile that's been cutting up other mouths
since i was old enough to see the world shake in its boots
and cry out like a doorman letting in any and all burden
has got the best of me this time,
for it's too far to the promised land,
but maybe all i ever wanted,
aside from the spins and the jokes,
was an eternity that only ever smelled of
lit matches, spilled booze, and burned rubber.