The hotel room was closing in on me. I needed to get up,
to get out; but the past held me there.
I was listening to Joni Mitchell.
She was singing about a Chelsea morning, asked me to stay,
said “we’ll put on the day and wear it till the night comes”.
Sounded like a plan. She sang of other things that made no sense…
but the breakfast sounded good.
Maybe it was the wine, but I was talking back to her.
I’ve loved Joni all my life, we’ve never met; but I don’t let that stop me.
When Joni sings nothing else matters.
Joni told me she looked at clouds from both sides now,
it was all an illusion, life an illusion; just another show.
Well I know about that alright.
The whole fucking thing is one big illusion;
life is hard and then you die.
It was going well… so I poured another glass.
We moved on to our relationship. She was alone in California,
wrote that she loved me; but didn’t know where to send it.
Said she missed me but didn’t know where she stood. Well I told her…
She lived in 1969 with flowers in her hair and a big toothy grin.
Had a guitar that looked too big for her; and sang like an angel.
I told her I would cross the ocean just to sit at her feet.
Joni sang that she met me on a Midway at some kind of fair.
“I stood out like a ruby in a black man’s ear” she said
“I was playing my guitar like a devil wearing wings”
I had no idea what she was talking about….I was never that good;
but I could pretend. I asked her why she never made Woodstock?
She wanted to, but was otherwise engaged…
“Did I like her song?”
You bet your sweet arse I did Joni…
I was up there on one of your clouds singing it with you.
She was saying “when first she saw my gallery, she liked the ones of ladies”.
I had to admit there’s been one or two, I couldn’t wait for ever.
A man can’t live on songs alone; I need a little company from time to time.
Joni thought she understood
“Fear was like a wilderland…
all stepping stones
on sinking sand”.
Joni could be as deep as the ocean sometimes.
Sadly I wasn’t with her back then, except in spirit,
but I always thought one day…..
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