Angel Wings
©2020 J Kirby Heard
Sea foam shimmers before daylight - like the strands of pearls you wore
I reach for your hand without a thought, but you’re walking on Heaven’s shore
Daybreak brings you back again and warms me with fond memories
Gentle waves tickle our toes in the sand then wander back to the sea
Remember how our fingers twined; a perfect fit, me and you
You’re here with me and my aching heart - I see you in all that I do
Soft dune drifts are your laughing eyes, I hear your voice in the wind
Your golden hair shines in the noonday sun; your radiance is clear in my mind
Ah, my love
Ah, my love
It’s hard to face this solitude; I see your footprints by mine
They fill with seawater then disappear, so you’re swept from me again
The ocean frees a silvery moon to waken the indigo sky
Revealing a shell, open like angel wings - I see you, waving goodbye
Ah, my love
Ah, my love
I hug the pillow that cradled your head; grief pulls the tears from my eyes
Like the tide, I will recover my strength; like the sun and moon I will rise
~ For Rachel and MJ, with all my love
Grab the Lightning
©2019 J Kirby Heard
Three barrels beckon, we breathe as one, listen to the crowd, imagine our run
Her knees hug me gently as she sits up high - a saddle or buckle, the ultimate prize
She melts in the saddle; we soar as one. Staccato triplets pound as I run
Dusty wake reveals my trail, my snorts of passion in every exhale
We speak with no words, we fly without wings
When we grab the lightning, I hear her heart sing
We grab the lightning, I touch the fire, wind in my face, against the wire
Dig heels down and fly to the east; we’re a powerful pair when we’re unleashed
O-de-lay-ee, o-de-lay-ee, o-de-li
She kisses my muzzle, sweeps forelock aside, curries the salty frost from my hide
Buries her face in my neck to inhale smells of the barn, and the call of the trail
Some days I run unbridled and free - no saddle, no fenders just sweet liberty
She’s tucked like a jockey, clutching my mane - we glide on the wind, we’re free of the reins
We speak with no words, we fly without wings
When we grab the lightning, I can hear her heart sing
We grab the lightning, I touch the fire, wind in my face, against the wire
Dig heels down and fly to the east; we’re a powerful pair when we’re unleashed
O-de-lay-ee, o-de-lay-ee, o-de-li
We speak with no words, we fly without wings
When we grab the lightning, I can hear her heart sing
I Was Never a Child
©2022 J Kirby Heard
Time is heavy, on my soul then seems to fly away
Tried to tie me down before, could not find a way
Threads of memories frayed and worn rally to survive
Empty days of loneliness
I was never a child; I was never a child
Time is tender - giving days to win race with age
Tattered virtue, never shared - silence turned to rage
Tangled thoughts that trigger tears linger deep inside
Tug on bootstraps, rise above
I was never a child; I was never a child
Time has mercy - holding dreams and memories yet to come
Sing what can’t be said, they say, dance what can’t be sung
Cut the tethers holding tight, freeing wings to fly
As the ocean, Earth and sun,
I was never a child; I was never a child
Time is fading - more left behind than I can see ahead
Trust creeps in, then disappears, teasing me instead
Dare to laugh with life’s ordeals, pushing fear aside
I was born this old
I was never a child; I was never a child
Somebody’s Someone
©2020 J Kirby Heard
When they shot him dead nobody said, "He's somebody's someone"
When they haul her away there's no one to say, "She's somebody's someone"
She's a mother, a daughter, an angel, a friend; she mattered to someone around the bend
They're somebody's someone, somewhere, sometime, no matter the cause or the crime
A mistake with the smack, or a suicide pact, you’re still somebody's someone
When he's found in the street there's nothing discreet, but he's somebody's someone
He's a buddy, a husband, a brother, a mister, a lover, a son, or maybe a sister
There should always be someone in everyone's mind for the somebody's someones we find
Violence on streets, arrests for free speech, they’re still somebody's someone
Some stand up tall speaking out for us all, we're all somebody's someone
We're somebody's someone in somebody's life, a parent, a child, a mentor, a wife
We'll be somebody's someone right to the end, we're all somebody's someone's friend
We're all somebody's someone's friend
Mandy Jane
©2019 J Kirby Heard
She worked so hard ‘fore the day began, yellow hair pinned neatly in place
Patting out biscuits with her tiny hands, her motion was so full of grace
Her pinafore apron dusted with flour, protected that day’s gingham dress
Then she’d go work in town for another eight hours after baking her love in our bread
She baked love right into our bread
Warm, loving eyes were as dark as night; strong features concealed her kind smile
And her granite façade would dissolve with delight when her arms would encircle a child
She raised us simple, never wanting for more, on our farm away from the crowds
In God’s chosen country our family she bore where the hills kiss the sky and the clouds
The hills kiss the sky and the clouds
Running spring waters kept milk icy cold, hearty fruit trees our summertime sweet
Mandy Jane filled our bellies and nurtured our souls; her smokehouse cured fresh meat
We’d all gather eggs in the early morn, pick the garden before the day’s sun
And sometimes at night when our butter she’d churn, I could hear her sweet little hum
In my mind, I can still hear her hum
That night she went to Glory Land I held her hands in mine
And sang to her of love so grand, we’ll share in the Divine
When we meet on the other side
As the memories rushed past me and blurred my sight, I grasped them to keep safe & near
I cried all the way down the mountain that night, forever holding my mother so dear
Forever holding my mother so dear
Sweet Days of Summer
©2022 J Kirby Heard
As the days grow longer, I count them down... how I’m counting them down
’Til we meet again in the orchards, tending the fruit - the sun turns you brown
We’ll dance in the rainstorms that come each afternoon, cooling us down
And we’ll dine with the others, then quietly slip into our room
Sweet days of summer bring sweet summer nights
Every moment I cherish our of sweet summer life
I can’t wait to trace your scars with my fingertips & then with my lips
They’re the roads that lead to your soul, where I will savor you bit by bit
We’ll hold each other ’til dawn, then rise with the sun, begin a new day
Tangled sheets left behind, like vines in the fields after our take
Sweet days of summer bring sweet summer nights
Every moment I cherish our of sweet summer life
We’ll leave the fields to fallow, go our separate ways like the sun’s distant rays
I’ll rely on warm memories as time slowly creeps through the shortest of days
As we winter over, like the trees, we’ll grow strong, for the following year
You’re the one in my dreams during the times we aren’t there
When I’m old, I’ll remember the taste of your lips, and the sweet fruit
Even then I’ll look back, and my spirit and heart will always return... to our
Sweet days of summer and our sweet summer nights
Every moment I cherish our of sweet summer life
I will always remember our sweet summer life
Liberty
©2022 J Kirby Heard
Elder woman welcomes all - sea-washed sunset gates
Well-known in her port of call, a mild and gentle face
Crowned by the unconquered sun, seven lands and seas
Mother of the exiles, homeless refugees
Hold the torch high, Liberty, the tired & the poor
Seek the lamp of freedom lifted at the golden door
Now she is the tempest-tossed, her tattered gown is stained
Undeterred by the accost, she breaks away the chains
Sedition, malice at her door, angry tempers rage
Rioting white privilege roars in a criminal display
Hold the torch high, Liberty, the tired & the poor
Seek the lamp of freedom lifted at the golden door
Divisiveness left in the wake; tyrants cheer
Frail democracy may break huddled masses fear
Cries for her to be released freedom on the wind
Restore a sense of peace, try the experiment again
Hold the torch high, Liberty, the tired & the poor
Seek the lamp of freedom lifted at the golden door
Hold the torch high, Liberty, the tired & the poor
Seek the lamp of freedom lifted at the golden door
(That’s What Makes) A Bluegrass Song
©2022 J Kirby Heard
They say that Bill began it all in the land where grass is blue
Lester had a pickin’ style that drove the tempo through
Called Old Time Hillbilly with a high and lonesome sound
Dr Ralph and Carter had a still house to tear down
Songs of trains, mountain mining, lying, cheating, killing, dying
Love and loss and gambling, moonshine, mama, muscadine
Men who say “you done me wrong,” and pretty girls who move along
Three chords and a G-Run; That’s what makes a bluegrass song
People come from miles around, strumming strings of steel
Ballads, breakdowns, instrumentals, old time jigs & reels
Men of constant sorrow who possess a special gift
They say when four are picking, there is usually a fifth
Songs of trains, mountain mining, Lying, cheating, killing, dying
Love and loss and gambling, moonshine, mama, muscadine
Men who say “you done me wrong,” and pretty girls who move along
Three chords and a G-Run; That’s what makes a bluegrass song
Born from all our origins and beckoned to combine
Hymns and old tradition, Life and Music intertwined
Chicken stew or a hoe-down, any chance to pick & grin
Now and then a II chord or a VII might sneak in
So If Bill Monroe’s your father and Jimmy Martin’s King
You Flatpick 6, claw hammer 5, or saw 4 fiddle strings
If an 8 string mando cross-pick stirs a musical romance
Then you’re in bluegrass country, where flatfoot is a dance
Songs of trains, mountain mining, Lying, cheating, killing, dying
Love and loss and gambling, moonshine, mama, muscadine
Men who say “you done me wrong,” and pretty girls who move along
Three chords and a G-Run; Three chords and a G-Run
Three chords and a G-Run; That’s what makes a bluegrass song
Halfway There
©2022 J Kirby Heard
(Prologue) Thirteen stars, thirteen stripes, thirteen honored folds at the end of life
Halfway there at sea, on land, the last farewell from our flag so grand
I was raised at Prospect Hill, an ensign of man’s free will
High above red-stained fields I wave a majestic shield
When I honor those who died I bow midway with respect, pride
Gloves & hat in place a stoic guard, a sacred space
Perdition lingers on and on - I’m halfway there all year long
So weary, grief appears in 13 folds, a thousand tears
Hardware clangs, the wind’s own bell; 21 shots, sulfur smell
Unseen flag of death above unfurled for those we loved
Halfway there seeing children flee - there’s chaos, cacophony
So many lives, in war and peace lost to bullets, disease, police
Perdition lingers on and on - I’m halfway there all year long
So weary, grief appears in 13 folds, a thousand tears
I race to the peak for an instant there then retreat halfway, in despair
This is now so commonplace - it used to be a hallowed space
How I long to have a voice, to plea for life, regain my hoist
Do they see? Do they care?
Perdition lingers on and on - I’m halfway there all year long
So weary, grief appears in 13 folds, a thousand tears
(Epilogue) All attempts seem in vain To rise up to the top once again
Do they see? Do they care? Halfway there
Under the Maple Tree
©2022 J Kirby Heard
I could find you under the Maple tree, your ball cap turned to the side
A gem in the gold autumn leaves - your black hair and charcoal eyes
As a hoot owl called we fell in love ‘neath that tree we used to climb
My memories of the hours we’d spend - forever lost in time
Now my arms are empty, my heart’s been denied since you went away
The sting of loneliness won’t subside - I’ve loved you more each day
We met one night in the light of the moon before you went off to war
Then I searched to find you in my dreams, or up among the stars
The woods fell silent when you left, but for the tears my own heart wept
And the hoot owl called for your return each night before I slept
Now my arms are empty, my heart’s been denied since you went away
The sting of loneliness won’t subside - I’ve loved you more each day
You gave me your cap - it was navy blue, a wool letter S in red
Said you’d come back for it, keep it safe, that I should wear it instead
Your precious cap was all I had left and I kept it close to my heart
When I learned you had fallen at the front it kept me from coming apart
Now my arms are empty, my heart’s been denied since you went away
The sting of loneliness won’t subside - I’ve loved you more each day
I could find you under the Maple tree, your ball cap turned to the side
Ponderings (Do you Know?)
©2019 J Kirby Heard
He wore the grey, his brother in blue
Met face to face at Gettysburg - what were they to do?
Were they bound by the cause they signed up for
Sacrificing family for the sake of war?
Did they know? How could they even know?
Ripples become a hurricane
Did they make a choice that day to not turn and walk away?
Did they know?
You joined the Guard, they sent you to Kent State
Young and green, how could you know their fate?
Four precious students, lifeless on the ground
Do you ever wonder if your bullet took one down?
Did you know? How could you even know?
Ripples become a hurricane
Did you make a choice that day to not turn and walk away?
Did you know?
Out on foot patrol she worked the city beat
Thought she saw a gun in the chaos on the street
She reached for her sidearm, to control the scene
But his was a water pistol, and the kid just thirteen
Toss a pebble in the water, the ripples spread and grow
We see little motion; there’s so much more below
As the scenes play over and over in your mind
Do you agonize over what was left behind?
Do we know? How can we even know?
Ripples become a hurricane
Do we make a choice each day to not turn and walk away?
Do we know?
Could you have made a choice that day, to turn & walk away?
...I wonder if you know
Better This Way
©2022 J Kirby Heard
This song evolved from a songwriter prompt, Better this way…
Was it too soon we parted? Should it have ever started?
No guilt or fear, no more tears… I think it is… Better this way
We had our moments, it’s true; even said, “I love you”
Thought it could last, but the passion passed; How can it be… Better this way?
We let our spirits be free - I relish the memory
And keep in mind what was left behind - It has to be…Better this way
Things aren’t always as they seem - A path in life cloaked in a dream
Through the looking glass a chance to disappear
Reflections never lie when the glass is clear
Finding all the holes you left - fill them in, no regrets
A spark in my soul has now taken hold… I know it is… Better this way…
Yes, Better this way…
Maggie’s Song
©2022 J Kirby Heard
From our home along the Tay we were weavers all by trade
Thirteen children born to our family
Working long hours for low pay, we knew no other way
Seemed a destiny we could never leave
We were schooled until age ten, then to the mills were sent
In the damp and dusty jute works of Dundee
We spin the jute and flax weaving linen cloth and sacks
’Twas the weaver's life in eighteen eighty-three
One by one six angels flew; my own twin brother, too
Five of those souls never reached age three
When they called our mama home; Papa felt so all alone
Six months after he had buried the last babe
One day my sister sailed off to Americay
Her beau was waiting there to take her hand
I tried to be the mum to my siblings left so young
And dreamed about a life in that new land
Then Sister wrote to tell of the land they’d come to dwell
Far away from the ocean's chill and roar
With other Brits abreast in a place called Midwest
I should join them, leaving Scotland evermore
I worked fifteen hours a day so my steerage I could save
And summoned fearlessness to go alone
Take my leave of old Dundee, farewell to the cold North Sea
And the poor loom weaver’s life I’d been bestowed
When my passage I did earn, I vowed to ne’er return
Start anew far from the dismal factory
I stayed by Sister's side; with hers, I raised my child
They were all I had to call my family
I had cut the ties that bind leaving kith and kin behind
And when Sister took her daughter to Dundee
I could nae bear the pain to visit there again
Once I'd found the strength to leave that poverty
Mama died when I was nine; I'll nae forget her smile
My young one had her same smile from the start
Though I had traveled on and left our family home
Scotland will e'er be in my heart
My Body, My Voice
©2022 J Kirby Heard
You had your way against my will; then shame & guilt kept my voice my voice still
Unfit to speak or tell a soul I’d been ripped in two where I once was whole
I broke away from your grip yet I still feel your hand silence my lips
My red bandana got left behind - keep it, I don’t need the remind
My body, my voice; my life, my choice
Keep your laws off my womb. There just isn’t room
Don’t try and take my voice away - I won’t be silent, not today
Now that night I live again as you declare your ‘legal win’
Your self-righteousness be damned; I won’t give up the life I planned
You ban support or relief for the life you caused to be
Then flaunt your strength but have no will, and hide behind misguided bills
My body, my voice; my life, my choice
Keep your laws off my womb. There just isn’t room
Don’t try and take my voice away - I won’t be silent, not today
You care not for the babe or me; I see through your hypocrisy
“No favors I ask for my sex; but your foot belongs not on my neck*”
Raging women take to the streets against these laws of men’s deceit
"Make good trouble" - we won’t go back to metal hangers and back alley hacks
Our bodies, our voice; our lives, our choice
Keep your laws off our wombs. There just isn’t room
Our bodies, our voice; our lives, our choice
Keep your laws off our wombs. There just isn’t room
Don’t try and take our voice away - we won’t be silent, not today
We won’t be silent, not today
*Ruth Bader Ginsberg