Al's Place
(V. Ferrara)
There is something wrong with us
the world we know rejects us
the world we dreamed is gone
we drink and play anonymously

muscles remain tense
till music pierces tension shields
and we begin to rise

icy black instead of eyes
this bar is like a halfway house
dirt and ash accumulate
as muddy boots flake

we are inhaling
the smoke of poverty
we cling to routine
to defy anomie

CHORUS:
We sweat we smoke
we are drunk and lonely
we talk but never know another side
heads above water
skipping over sand
we reject tropical visions
and hide in reality

Quart of body disappears
as bodies unhitch
from adolescence that stole innocent creativity
strength is vented
by a women
who lifts up a table to free a stuck boy

CHORUS

As the only unpretentious bar within miles, Al’s Place was a favorite band hangout. Leave it to Trudi to write a tribute that makes you want to slit your wrists until the horns kick in with the chorus.