the trees of hollow
TRANSCRIPT
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The Trees of Hallow
A collection of poems by Alan Eby
All work Alan Eby
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Note:
The work in this collection retains its uniqueness and initial spontaneity. All of these poems
contain the emotions I was feeling at the time. No additions or revisions have been made to the
poems. I want you, the reader, to experience this collection just as I did when I originally wrote
it.
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Bloody lips and cherry wine
Moonshine in your hair
Just keep staring at the sunPraying for Summers End.
Summers End Foo Fighters
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The Legend of Aconitum and the Moon
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Amnesiaonic
A steady stream of sobriety interrupted by a relapseBack again to your picture out of focus
Haze and smoke from my unfinished cigarettethat was supposed to relax me
The sound of your silent voice isnt too far away;
just out of hearts reach
But since were on the subject again,might I suggest a review?
Down the stairs I trip, falling over your name;a rush of nostalgia to the head
These wounds will fester with regret
and infected they will become
Reflected in the mirror are your eyes,
two hypnotic fools with a skillLike a breath, I was drawn in then out
Released back into the wild like an animal
Even in sleep when my mind has the power to go wherever it pleases,it is adamant that you come along
So I drag you behind me
Weighted down by your soul
And after a few parallels where it all worked out,I sit down and brush away the hair from your faceWondering why Ive come all this way
to be sitting here brushing away the wind
Drenched in sweat and a feeling of guiltI quietly pace the hallway betwixt my door and our previous door.
When I get to that door, I go to knock then halt,
knowing that no one will answer on the other side
But I knock anyway just to give myself a sense of peace,
a sense of peace that never keeps us at peace
Frantically, I wish for the morningsince in the light, your shadow follows me
I, being amnesiaonic, want to be hit in the head;
an attempt to erase past attempts
To sharpen these pencils for the day
and write about something new
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A steady stream of relapse interrupted by sobriety
Back again to an empty picture frameHaze and smoke from my finished cigarette
that has relaxed me
The sound of silence isnt too far away;just within arms reach
And since were on a new subject,might I suggest risk assessment?
Down the stairs I walk, talking over your name;
a rush of closure to the headThese scars will show hope
and nurtured they will become
Reflected in the mirror are my eyes,
two trusting guides with a skill
Like a breath, I look in then out,capturing all there is to see
In sleep, my mind has the power to go wherever it pleases.It is adventurous,
leaving everything behind
Weighted down only by gravity
And after a few parallels where its a different me,
I sit down and brush away the hair from my face
Wondering why Ive come all this wayand have not known about this place before
Drenched in sweat from running in my dreamsI quietly exhale and catch my breath
When my heart slows and my mind is at ease,
the door opens and I decide to leave
I dont have to knock since the door is automatic
A peaceful sense of peace in me
Hesitantly I wish for the morningSince in the night, no light can burn me
I, being amnesiaonic, want to be hit in the head;an attempt to kill the future
To dull these pencils with history
and remember what I already know
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Dragonfly Wings
Brittle as paperStrong as glass
Dragonfly wingsHumming as they pass
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MMXII
Oh, rejoice!Your time has finally come
Tell them all your secretsand they will welcome you
Only at night
so they wont see the seriousness in your face
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Rainy Progress
Drizzle here, drizzle there
Rain here, rain there
Pour here, pour there
Drizzle here, rain there
Rain here, pour there
Pour here, drizzle there
Drizzle here, pour there
Rain here, drizzle there
Pour here, rain there
Its all progress and failure
and sometimes it comes quicker than thought
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Acute Girl
She knows only what she knowsFears what she doesnt know
Never giving the new a chance to become her oldAnd lying to herself that that is what makes her acute
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Fernix
The chimes ring your earsSubduing your worries
After paralysisKnowing your world has been called out
Fernix leaves and breathes
To those who wait
Wait for himThe gag removed
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3 Times
I had a feelingA funny feeling
That this would result
I had a hunch
A fruity punch
To the gut and choked up
Three times is plenty for me
Plenty for the books
You could have stopped at oneAnd Id been happy
I read your mindWith my mind
Going for the ride
I felt a wind
A strong wind
Something was coming
I tore it down
Down to the ground
No spring seeds
I made a pact
A pact to relaxBefore I felt again
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62
It never was my favoriteUntil you lived there
The creak of the floorsFifteen wooden stairs
Always a chill
Mostly in your bed
Burrowed under that blanket colored red
You can spread out now that Im gone
My things are packed and now I am gone
Out the door, dont wanna hear the song
That we first kissed to on that Autumn nightIt all felt good
It all felt right
You bled me out and forgot the goodbyes
Lovers smoke in my eyes
I guess it wasnt what seen us through
On that street, West at 62
Asleep on my arm
I dared not to moveHours on end
Nestled in a groove
Pictures on your bedroom wall
The stories I heard you tell
Silenced by the night
Cautious of the morning bell
You can take down the photos of me
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Carpet Cleaner
Those stains on the carpet are memoriesLike the time you spilt wine
Dressed in a skirt, dancing out of timeEvery time I look they come back to me
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A Framed Rose
I once plucked a rose from its stem,wanting to give it to someone special
The favor wasnt returned so I framed the rose,hung it on the pale egg-white wall
My theory was that since I couldnt have their love,
I would frame mine for them
The rose lost its color and shape,
but never died; barely holding onto life
And so I hoped they would notice my determination,
but then I realized that the framed rose wasnt the only rose to bloom
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Herfst Brug (Autumn Bridge)
The leaves from the old oak tree fall to the groundA sign of mysterious forthcomings
Cooler winds prevail over the merciless heat of SummerBreathe in the aura of Appleseed
Scents of pumpkin litter the cider-like air
Crisp as a freshly picked apple
Bearing no direction but 360 of immense color containing reds, yellows, oranges, and browns
The water flowing under Herfst Brug is drenched with Dutch blood
Ancestral wells pooling the local historyFables and myths are planted with caution
Risen by the ghosts of past seasons
Counting down the days of harvest left
brings the realization of what has been achieved and what will die
but everything has come to this October festival:The grand finale of the living season blossoms in the days of Autumn
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Necessities
BootsJeans
Leather jacketWhiskeyCigars
Apple Cider
Bales of hay
FireA belief in the legends
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Opaque Statues
We were young onceBack in our brash days
Time has ended its loanAnd we ready to pay
These bones have felt love
Reluctantly accepted loss
Sounds of life chimeAnd chip away our gloss
Well be stoneSomeday
Opaque statues
Someday
Ordinary as the wind
But staying in one placeSimple means
Make a modest space
You and I have livedCounted the stars a thousand times
Lets recount them again
Closer than ever this time
Well be stoneSomedayOpaque statues
Someday
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I Had That One Long Ago
A long, long, long time agoI once knew a girl who showed me how
To be patient and anxious and to take controlAt the time it all seemed a grand ole show
Then the rose, it died from the slow
Truth that finally shined with a bloody glow
It all felt odd, against who I wasSo I ran away to my home because
I had that one long agoIt did me bad, and did me slow
Take her in and shell show you why
Shes a master of disaster from the start
The raging seas have nothing on her
Wrath that crashes into Big SurLike a muse she draws you in
With lullabies and songs from the devils den
Nave I was to trust her eyesBut the pleasure was sweet dressed in disguise
My heart was attacked and ripped from my soul
She put it back with grace and control
I had that one long agoIt did me bad, and did me slowTake her in and shell show you why
Shes a master of disaster from the start
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Three Rivers
The boats that came through hereMany years and moons ago
Brought this town to its bloom
Then the trains with their smoke and coal
Passengers lined up with their dresses and tobacco
Helped move life into this town
Moving with speed, these cars came fast
Taking things there and bringing new ones here
Paved the way for this town
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Legend
If you think it cant be realThink again
It hides within youResting in your bellyWaiting to arise
Like an animal from its slumber
Two fights it fights every day
Between good and evilThe victor is crowned
By whichever you let win
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Paint Your Soul
What are the colors of your mindDo they shine in the sun
Is your room painted to bring them to life
So paint me your soul on a canvas
With yellows and greens and everything in between
And what you finish with will be yours to give
Can you trace the outline freehand
Or do you need my help
Let me sit beside you and watch patiently
So paint me your soul on a canvas
With blues and reds and everything in your headAnd what you finish with will be yours to give
Will you let me watch while you workDo you prefer I sit outside and wait
Whatever it is, Ill eventually see
So paint me your soul on a canvasWith blacks and whites and everything you have to fight
And what you finish with will be yours to give
And what you finish with will be yours to give
So paint me your soul on a canvas
With blacks and whites and everything you have to fightAnd what you finish with will be yours to give
And what you finish with will be yours to give
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When We Rolled In
We drove for hoursOne in the front and two in the back
Not sure which way we were going
Somehow we found the belt
Wrapped around that city
Placing faith in the unknown
Up on the horizon
Couldnt believe our eyes
The buildings, the lightsWhen we rolled in
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Shot Down
I threw up your name and shot it downWith a look of my eye
I buried your truth and walked awayWhen the sun was setting
I burned your face with a touch of honesty
While smoke filled the sky
I drowned your voice whilst
Watching the tide come in
I tried to fix your heart
But you refused
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Lights That Guide
Hear the stillness of the nightAs your thoughts come out to play
Curfew is upBut they plead for you to stay
Oh, follow where they go
Get lost aside the dark
These lights that guide you home
Soon you lose your way
Circling around the worldAsking a few
To show you the new
Oh, follow where they go
Get lost aside the dark
These lights that guide you home
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In Time
Through a reflective lens I combat the painof slowly remembering all that was but now makes me go insane
Of a matter of words on a piece of string that pursed through your lipsit all seemed like it would settle like concrete and refuse to rip
And the ribbons and banners of the revelry
got torn down by some overlooked carnival employee
Distracted by the repetitive march of the clock
I fell into step and became synchronized, completely forgot
In the darkness of that little bedroom seized by the cold
I swore you said something but you wouldnt repeat what you told
Winters song started to play gently in our ears
and the scent of Armageddon loomed within the year
Like driftwood from an inevitable shipwreck
these splinters floated from the mast unhinged from the deck
Gracious are the moments of nostalgia at night
as I dance with a ghost that never sought to haunt my sight
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Leather-bound
Collecting dust on the wooden shelfA plan to use it again
The words housed here are asleepNever to breathe again
Tightly packed in a cardboard box
Onto new towns and fields
Dying for sunlight and growthRealizing that for a price theyll yield
Wonders let loose with a cut of a strapRacing through the air like a newborn butterfly
The plan was to stay leather-bound till death
But they manipulated my weakness and succeed with a try
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The Life and Death of West Egg
She always said that Autumn always brought hopeHope for renewal and preservation
The leaves that littered the surface of the lake teeteredTeetered on right and wrong
And although good intentions were the root of action
Action was set in motion for destruction
Midwest values smothered by money and carelessness
Carelessness that ruined nave ambition
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The New Sinful Lot
Nor greed, jealously, or adultery can compare
Spreading like a resurfaced Black Plague it infects
Quitting cold turkey only makes it worse
Pray that its grasp doesnt grab hold of you
For in a rebirth of light you appreciate your broken heart
Numb from disappointment, freed from heavenly lies
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My Greatest Memory
My greatest memory isnt filled with loveDoesnt include sadness or pain
Nor overly happy visions
My greatest memory takes me back to my high school days
But not actually in the school
But at my home at that time
My greatest memory was founded on that street named after a Native American weapon
And when the Autumn winds came and rustled the leaves loose from their branches
I became drunk with the seasonal change and intoxicated by its effect
My greatest memory was guided by a soundtrack
By a band that saved my life, twiceThey were always fighting foo
My greatest memory was all about listeningTo the trees, the wind, the ghosts of past Autumns
It was all echoes, silence, patience, and grace
My greatest memory sat itself down on that family room sofaAfter school and the television roared with the sounds of the Premiership
Confused with curiosity and intrigued by every kick
My greatest memory was warmed by the late afternoon sun
Shining through the window on my legs
As the dog laid beside me
My greatest memory, over time, became knowledgeable
It came with great effort of studying and watching
And the passion was then created
My greatest memory burrowed a sense of belonging
Deep within the recesses of my mindWithout a single moment of human interaction
My greatest memory will live on
Today, tomorrow, and yesterdayReveled by the September months
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Humanity
Dearest brother,Your intent is to forget the present and to remember the past
Im sorry to say thats not your destined way
Our now- nature is to rip apart lives
Both fleshly and metaphorically
However, you say otherwise
I see the way you look at her
When she walks away and comes
But I know you smell her virgin blood
Smelling so good, it pierces your cold heart
And warms it back upYet your primal instincts kick in
Finally I teach you that we lost our humanityWhen we made our first kill to be reborn
So no bother trying to resurrect it when blood is waiting to be spilled
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Bourbon in the Bayou
Give it another roundHold onto your glass
Shout out your lungsLet the bad times pass
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Atlas Misjudgment
So push this heavy load off my shouldersAnd give me my overdue wings
Let me fly awayWithout a crying sound
Your troubles and your sadness
All of your confusion
All held up by my inner Atlas
Unknown to your thoughts
A moments worth of attentionAll looked over by my inner Atlas
If you ever think to noticeMy arms under your feet
Holding you up, my inner Atlas
I cant take the weight no more
Watch it all come crashing down
My inner Atlas quit takes away your crown
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Fire, Smoke, and Rain
You are set afire
You are smoking at the seam
You are put out by the rain
You know its only a dream
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Never In The Moment
The smoke never clouds my sightBecause I know where Im going
Dj vu floods my mindAs if Ive been here before
Hindsight will bitch at me later
But I dont see itNever in the moment
A gentle mist of confusionRaining down on my anxious face
These little details arent important
Ill pay attention to them later on
Hindsight will bitch at me laterBut I dont see it
Never in the moment
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The Wind That Whispers
Man should never listen to another manOnly to the wind
The wind never shouts liesIt only whispers the truthBecause what is certain and real
Never needs force to be heard
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Blindly
Agree to agree on so muchBlind loyalty all the way
Until the day you calledTo tell me it wasnt what you agreed on
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Like a good friend I obliged
Anything to make you happy again
You came running back once moreAnd I took you back blindly
Ah, ah, ah, ahOh, oh, oh, oh
Will you let me follow you down
Where you and I crash and burn?
The past was over with a blur
Like getting dizzy rolling down a hill
This years love has gone too farHarvest it in the middle of Fall
Ah, ah, ah, ahOh, oh, oh, oh
A bicycle you rode to townWith me on the handlebars
And when I fell off
You watched as I rolled into the cars
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Will you let me follow you downWhere you and I crash and burn?
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This One
This ones not about you or meOr why we chose to say our goodbyes and leave
This ones not a lost causeSince we can pull each other back into arms
Pull you back or push you away
Ill fight for you if you promise to do the same
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Augustas End
This Indian Summers got me sweatin like a dogIts not from the heat but from what I know comes next
Gotta put away the boat, gotta lose these tan linesSince the cool air is telling me its time for
Augustas End
Time to say goodbye to my summer friends
All the beer is gone and I wont pretend that it doesnt make me sadOh, its Augustas End
When the leaves start to turn a warmer colorThats when the kids are going back to school
And Im one, of those university suckers
When all I want to do is just go out and play but its
Augustas End
Time to say goodbye to my summer friendsAll the beer is gone and I wont pretend that it doesnt make me sad
Oh, its Augustas End
No more beach funJust homework thats never done
I should just move to Puerto Rico
But its
Augustas EndTime to say goodbye to my summer friendsAll the beer is gone and I wont pretend that it doesnt make me sad
Oh, its Augustas End (x2)
No more beach funJust homework thats never done
I should just move to Puerto Rico (two times rapidly)
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Coal Mountain Luck
The year was 1902When Pa came in from the fields and said hed got some newsThe banks taking our lands
Weve got to move West
To the Appalachians
Where the black coal rests
We settled down in Ohio, next to a creek
Where Pa and I found work in the mines, two dollars a weekThe dust ate our lungs
The sun never shined
Our luck turned black from all the woodbine
And wheres our coal mountain luck?
And wheres our coal mountain luck?
One Tuesday morning, around 10 am
Pa hit a piece of rock that caused it to end
The mine was coming downI grabbed Pas hand
He fell and I lost his grip
As quick as sand
Standing by the grave, holding mamas handAnd my sisters crying, they didnt understandNow I see
What is misery
Its knowing that your best
Will never set you free
And wheres our coal mountain luck?
And wheres our coal mountain luck?
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Backwards
All the times youll never forgetAll the times you now regret
It all seems like yesterdayAnd now its clear, theyre far away
Could you tell the tale about your life?
How it took its time to get just right
Maybe its a story that goes with some brewsIm givin all my attention to you
Here we goFlying through time, over every line
The part about kissing you
Makes me wanna smile, itll last awhileBut here I am with you
A ring around your finger, this love it likes to linger
Around your wordsWhen you go
Backwards
Do you think about all your lies?The white ones and the long goodbyes
Crying to move the pain
Ill always be there to take it away
Say youve ran around for long enoughYour feet are tired, your hands are roughPlay the song that soothes your heart
Let the bad things come apart
Here we goFlying through time, over every line
The part about kissing you
Makes me wanna smile, itll last awhileBut here I am with you
A ring around your finger, this love it likes to linger
Around your wordsWhen you
Go backwards
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Boo