Waltzing Steady by Mark Tulin

I listened to John Prine

the other day

and could hear the sound

of his heartbeat

singing.

 

He sang in a mid-western

drawl, slow and easy,

but waltzing steady

with a quirky rhythm

and a satirical rhyme.

 

His gravelly voice

spread across the universe

like a worn, comfortable blanket.

He tweaked my mood

and sharpened my soul

with each bend of his jaw.

 

I could see him writing songs

sitting on a porch,

a beer by his side

with his gentle fingers

strumming

his sweet goodbye.