Peshawar

Found on a crumpled piece of paper along a curb, in Pakistan.

Well I always liked words, I just did.

My momma teached me that.

She liked birds an’ flowers an’ I like ‘em too

But words is special.

You can ‘range ‘em like flowers an’ they make you fly,

You can rhyme ‘em an’ climb ‘em

Or, not. So I thought,

A cool word I’d heard was “Peshawar.”

Now after a while I found it was a place.

I could go anywheres I wanted to too.

So I did.

Didn’t have no car didn’t have no munny,

But I’d get there I knowed that.

Didn’t know where it was.

But birds an bees an’ deers can go where they please

Why not me?

So one sunny day I just started out.

Figgered I’d get me directions ‘long the way.

‘Bout two hours later I got me to town.

Was already tarred so I sat down

On a park bench. An’ there you see, like what happens to me,

Was the preacher.

He figgered I was lost so he bent my ear,

Told me things’d be rosy if I just stayed here,

But then he decided I weren’t listenin’

Which was true.

He gave up an’ went home and I moved on.

I gotta say, I lernt a lot. When you ain’t got nothin’

Folks figger you’re nothin’ too.

But I knew,

I had somewheres to go an’ they didn’t.

That crap ‘bout four-bit rooms? An’ brooms?

Taint so.

Now I don’t mean to sit an’ gloat, I didn’t even know

I was gonna need a boat.

But I did.

So I did me some sailin’ and I worked off my ass,

But still had enough of it to get it in trouble.

An’ I did.

After a while got it all worked out, made me some munny

An’ payed me some folks, an’ kept goin’.

Been four long years but I made it here.

An’ some things is really cool, like the word.

They got birds an’ bees an’ people an’ cars,

But I don’t think any of ‘em came this far

Like I did.

An’ the people talk funny an’ they don’t like me,

Spose I shoulda ‘spected that. Cuz nobody did

Where I come from too.

An’ really right now gotta tell you, Jack.

I ain’t lookin’ forerd to the fuckin’ walk back

But I will.

Cuz this ain’t home an’ there’s no place like it,

I seen Peshawar an’ you can just spike it,

An somehow or other I’d go home, knew that.

Cuz it’s prolly past time to feed the cat.

An’ I oughta.