~

Old Russ, one lean bean under a dirty baseball cap,

missing teeth, needs a shave, fine old chap

likes to read the good stuff & endlessly rap

hobbled up to ye olde mule lookin’ for a vein to tap

~

And found one, found two – cost him 10 bucks

a couple books that had nothin’ to do with raising ducks

they also had nothin’ to do with driving trucks

also, they were not about building aqueducts

~

They were about, uh, let’s see, tracking & trapping

yeeeeeeeap, that’s it, that’s what was happening

in ye olde mind of Russ, ye olde desert rat

so with 10 bucks (for supplies) I left town, how ’bout ‘dat

~

In the bush n’ the cacti, I kicked off my shoes

with a book in my lap, I started to snooze

n’ before I knew it I’d made me a lizard friend

the little runt amused me about 8 mile around the bend

~

This little critter’s whole body wiggled when he ran

from bush to bush and his slithering tail was oh so grand

then he come up next to me & look me in the eye

then he dart away & do it again on the sly

~

Then he’d disappear for a while, I’d read some

then off in the distance, well, here he come

skid to a halt next to me, dig around, n’ up n’ tilt his head

there he was, lookin’ me in the eye like a thoroughbred

~

Nothing more happened ‘cept once he bumped into my heel

finally it was time to go & I hopped behind the wheel

and off I went back to town to sell another book

I was broke n’ hungry but nobody would take a look

~

It was just about closing time n’ up come Russ

this was 3 days later, I was out there a while, I confuss

anyway, ye olde desert rat don’t just grab a book

he makes me dangle all my finest bait on my slickest hook

~

So, when he left I had 7 dollars in my pocket

I cleaned up n’ to the cafe took off like a rocket

now there’s a hamburger in my belly & I’m drinking a beer

& this rhyme is done – the world is full of cheer

…

rawclyde

!

(Copyright Clyde Collins 1999)

from A Love Song To The American Lizard

(out of print)