Bethlehem, WV

To which shepherd’s field

Did which angels descend?

And what’s this about eternal non-existence at the end?

A stranger’s face appeared—

They say he lost his mind

(Or too much found his mind?)

I hear it all the time

Vibrations rose in waves

From a sea of discontent

Dad used to talk about for days

I finally tasted what he meant

Your carcass on the ground

Brought vultures to their eyes

My frontal lobe is shutting down

I bet you hear it all the time

To which shepherd’s field did which angels descend?

Or is blessedness revealed to those of us who best pretend?

Some counterfeit ideas form ideas all their own

I watched them spread for years to my unsuspecting bones

And the nights my heart was tired you sang your saccharine song

But when your mouth was quiet was the sweetest sound of all

"Soon our ransomed souls will leave this age behind

For streets of solid gold",  I hear it all the time

On a West Virginia road

On a West Virginia road

On a West Virginia road

I did just as I was told