A Town Called Phenylalanine

Published on by Tosha Michelle

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Dedicated to J.R and P.S. (CCC)

He was a town that should
have come with a warning sign.
“Abandon all sanity, those
who enter here.”
Souls arriving but few departing.
He’d give them the key to the city
and his razor kisses.

Kisses that spoke of madness
on the confused mouths
of women lacking reason.
Always something thievish
in his eyes.

He was such a sweet talking void.
Yet, when you needed him,
he was never available for comment.
Still, if he moved backwards,
they would follow on their knees.

She passed through briefly
a few years back
and decided to return,
always enamored with the scenery.
Clytia, yearning for Apollo,
so sure the town she recalled
was heavenly.
Refusing to look
away from the sun.
Reciting some stupid
myth she had created.

When she arrived back
to where she was, she
found he had uprooted
and moved on.
flowers scattered everywhere.

Leaving behind hearts
and one stop streetlights
dangling from the wire.
His hat left on one of
his lover’s porches.
Now a fun house
of screams and horror.
Residue of tears, lingering,
stagnant in air of disillusionment

A lone dog wails in the
distance.

She stands godless.
Covered in numbness,
a few cherry blossoms
who’ve lost their cue
for timing, tragically,
drift by.

Lost and disillusioned.
Her detachment mask
slips to rage.
Her high heels do an
improvised voodoo dance
in dirt.
Trying to crush his name
before she becomes
part of the crumbling
debris.

-Tosha Michlle

My cover of Christina Perri”Jar Of Hearts” My talented father on electric guitar

“And who do you think you are?
Runnin’ ’round leaving scars
Collecting your jar of hearts
And tearing love apart
You’re gonna catch a cold
From the ice inside your soul
So don’t come back for me
Who do you think you are?”

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51 thoughts on “A Town Called Phenylalanine”

  1. “Jar Of Hearts” was “introduced” to me by a blogger in Boston MA when it first came out because I had not heard it when it was first released. And I never forgot hearing it for the first time because it is a haunting melody indeed. You and your dad did a fantastic job with it. The poem accompanied the song perfectly. Well done!

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  3. Great poem, Tosha! Love the title, the imagery (comparing this guy to a town is wonderful), and I, as a dog (and cat) lover have to say my favorite line is: “A long dog wails in the / distance” — love the isolation of that line. And … beautiful singing, guitar-playing! 🙂

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  4. I didn’t know what Phenylalanine was until I googled it. In The Big Lebowski vernacular, it tied the room together. I hadn’t heard that song before either, but I enjoyed it very much. Your dad’s sound and style is reminiscent of David Gilmour. He’s amazing!

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  10. Powerful stuff…and I like this photo even better from the one I saw yesterday…your voice is amazing…and I second (or is it third?) everything that was said about your father’s acoustic skills 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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