Poems by Wes Tirey






I

If God is Love
And the Kingdom of God is within you
Then the Kingdom of Love is within you

If Love is Blind
And the Kingdom of Love is within you
Then the Kingdom of Blindness is within you

The Blind lead the Blind




II


You can kill The
Buddha easily if you have
a one track mind

Myself, I like the bare essentials
in excess

I can’t drink like I used to. Everywhere
around me,
Texas redbuds




III

The Wright Brothers
Took flight at
10:35 AM

Brother, at last!
Hallelujah, amen!

Alive, aloft
Birds as gentlemen




IV

Beer & cigarettes
Welcome me
At the end of the day

My cat greets me
He puts on
Quite a show
I give him
Anything he wants

My landlord is an asshole
She’s left a note

Nevermind

It feels good
To take my boots off




V

Mike likes honey
And sugar
In his coffee
And PBR especially
When it’s free

He told me
“You remind me
Of James Dean”
I said
“Mike, James Dean didn’t
Have a beard”
He said “It’s something
About your eyes”

I told him I’d take
Him to the barbershop
For a haircut and
A beard trim
Goddamn
He could use it

One time
I saw Mike walk
Into the bathroom
With a prostitute
At a coffee shop
I worked at
If it was anyone else
I would’ve said
“What the fuck
Are y’all doin
Get outta there”
But it was Mike
And he told me
I reminded him
Of James Dean

It’s ok
Get you some

I heard someone
Ask Mike where
He lived
He said “Down by
The French Broad”
This guy says
“That’s a nice area”

What a douche

Some people don’t
Know how hard it is
To hang up a hat
Inside a tent
How it’s goddamn
Impossible to get clean
In dirty water

You can sing the blues
To any cat or dog
But that don’t mean
They wanna hear it

Wes Tirey is an Asheville-based singer-songwriter, guitarist, and collagist. His work has been critically praised by the likes of KEXP, No Depression, Uncut UK, and The Guardian. His latest album, “Wes Tirey Sings Selected Works of Billy the Kid”, puts music and melody to a selection of poems from Michael Ondaatje’s novel in verse, “The Collected Works of Billy the Kid”.


Leave a comment