“Tom Wait’s Amazing Grace”
Vienna Boys Choirs can't sing the blues,
until cigarettes
and whiskey give them character.
When Tom Waits sings amazing grace,
he's still blind -
blitzed by the bourbon.
And yet,
I'm still more
interested in him,
singing ragged
bout redemption,
than salvation
sung by 10 year-old virgins,
who've never
been to the distant country.
I'd rather have blasphemy washed in blood,
than innocence
stained with stale theology.
Cherub's chorus, unsullied vocal chords,
cannot relate
beyond the moment
where life
cracks,
and only hoarse wisdom relates,
to the inner voice.
that still sings
soprano.
This poem remains one of my favorite compositions. It was written for Jessamyn Luong as part of her present for her confirmation back in 2011. Tom Waits, famous for a raspy voice (a shtick that began when he sang with Laryngitis) did a reading of Poet Charles Bukowski's "Nirvana" that once again helped me to fall in love with the poetry and the recitation of the written word. That reading can be listen to here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVVzCURucaA.
This poem however, talks about the truth about "second innocence, attaining a radical openness even after one has been wounded by the world. Real understanding in the meeting of knowledge and experience, rather than just being pre-judged on ideological grounds.
Really nice.
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