the coed

i was running to another lemonade stand
paying the price of solitude
for a simple piece of ice
which was melting in my hand

the naked lady scolding me was a farmer's wife
so good to him he loved her
and carved her initials into a redwood
with his famous butcher knife

and his red heart circled an artery
while a hawk soared on the thermals overhead
looking for a sudden break in the clouds
and a better glimpse of me

i was running to another John Muir trail
refusing to read a morning paper
for an early avalanche of news
which was published in a jail

the southern poet chasing me with his mouth
kept his vision inside his sword
and wore his Confederate uniform
atop his war horse marching south

over graveyards into a liberal black and white
where a bearded professor lectures overhead
looking for his faculty chair
and a lazy coed for the night

i was running to another music concert hall
paying the asking price of admission
listening for an echo of a voice
but i never heard your call