I ONCE HAD COGENT THOUGHTS

i once had cogent thoughts
as a young boy
with dirty sneakers
and dirt under fingernails
stepping up to the plate
and whacking the hardball
with my louisville slugger
and rounded the bases
with glory in mind
and all was well
in the neighborhood
of my small mind

i once had cogent thoughts
in academic circles
at university
with my head filled with dreams
of saving the world
and filling myself
with the dope of life
and young women
who shared their dark secrets
i smelled their earth-motherhood
and looked to my future
and i was empowered
with what i thought it would be

i once had cogent thoughts
dashed by the wayside
in hot, smelly trailers
with factory workers
urine soaked, wine soaked bums
smoking cigarettes
and punching our clocks
we drudged to the taverns
to deaden the pain
of american dreams
that somehow still existed
in our addled brains

i once had cogent thoughts
until i read newspapers
and believed in false gods
and profiteers
who engaged in profiteering
so that the world shrunk
like a native head
and my america
lost her identity
and became scizophrenic
then suffered multiple
personality disorder
where all factions were fighting
and nothing got done
because all cogent thought
was gone, gone, gone,
baby

i once had cogent thoughts
in the corner of my basement
with alcohol and cigarettes
listening to bach
painting for no-one but myself
and writing for myself
in my world of dreams
where all was possible
and cogent thoughts
were not important
anymore