Walking with Jonathan Osterman

Every night
I hold tomorrow in my arms
cradling the infant dream
in a blanket of memory

I shut my eyes
and today
falls away...

It’s 1941
Christmas time
The old snowy classics on the radio
are new
So is the news
of planes and fire
over Hawaii
this changes everything

It’s 1984
my mother swears off
every vice
on her own advice
I’m growing inside her
and she will not poison me further

It’s 2020
November
Thank God
Thank God
THAT’S finally over,
moving on...

It’s 1963
November
Smiles turn to horror
on the streets of Dallas
Everything changes

A blue hand takes mine
Emotionless
Cold with nuclear fusion
“So much more to see,”
he says
“and nothing else to do
but watch...”

It’s 2003
My first time
is such a mess
I confess
I’ve no clue
as she rides my half-interest
What’s wrong with me?
What did I...?

It’s 2023
She’s graduating today
Through all the
smiles and cries
there lies
in her hand
everything she’s worked for
I close my eyes
and thank the skies
for this day
For her
This changes everything...

It’s 1996
Just me and Dad now
leaving for Texas
Where cowboys and Indians live,
the movies say
I confess
I’ve no clue
What am I going to do?
How will I...?

It’s 2001
I was just looking at
those crumbling towers
two weeks ago
a few miles away
I’m in Texas
clutching hands with friends
I don’t think I can live without
Everything changes...

“We’re all just watching,”
the blue man says
“But perhaps,
you will learn something
and create something...”

It’s 2005
She’s absolutely beautiful
Bigger, heavier
than I thought she’d be
This changes everything
And everything changes...

The blue man stands
on Martian sands
and smiles

I shut my eyes
and today
falls away...