Keep Art Alive :: Art by Craig ‘Skibs’ Barker

“All I got right now,
is all I want,
Chrissie Hynde singing through a blown dash speaker,
about Ohio.
All she wants right now,
is to be the way it was,
the same as when you and me were one.”

Janie Lee
by me

 She sits on an old passenger seat
yanked out before they let the junk man take it away
a hundred dollars and that old seat to show for it
and enough memories to write a book on

He asked her what one thing she’d want to keep
besides the memories
and it was that damn seat she asked for
ripped up the back seam
a slinky-shaped spring popping out of the right hand side
and a dark red stain from a long ago barbecued disaster

He kneels on the ground at her feet
not much left to say and really he would rather just look at her skin
pale with the slight suggestion of a blush juxtaposed against ruby lips
he wants to memorize her face enough to write an album worth of songs

She asked him if he ever thought to leave this town
before he sold their car
taking away their one and only means to escape
but he didn’t have any kind of answer for her
holding up a hand-me-down ring for her consideration
since he is down on his knees already

Her eyes are far and away though
wondering how far the crumpled up tips in her pocket will take her
he knows what her answer is already
maybe she’ll leave the passenger seat when she goes

Chrissie Hynde :: Butch Walker