“Eulogy of Jimi Christ” by Regie Gibson

Regie Gibson

EULOGY OF JIMI CHRIST

look at the sky
turn a hell fire red lawd
somebodies house is burnin down down down

look at the sky turn a hell fire red lawd
somebodies house is burin down down down down…
—Jimi Hendrix

I.

burn it down

you burned it all the way down jimi

made us burn
in the flame
that became yo sound jimi

grabbed ol legba
by his neck
made him
show you yo respect

hoochieman
coochie man
stranglin him
hoochie coochie hoodooman
wrangled him voodoo chile

made
his
steel
strings sing
ache
bend
break

sin
capitulate
give in
to the will
of yo beautifully
blessed fingers

bewitchinly
bleedin
bittersweet
south paw
serendipitous
sighs

and strained
stratacaster tears

soothin burnin
twistin turnin
into steam
as they fell

no

careened
toward all hellbound souls

only to
roll

back into yo
gypsied eyes

to fornicate
copulate
be sodomized
by penetration beautiful
of sweatband born acid rain

II.

a purple haze runnin through
yo brain drained into the veins
of daytrippers turned acid angel
by yo gift of little wings

which with the aid
of yo mary cryin winds soared
not merely above
around and through
crosstown traffic

but along/well beyond
watchtowers to realm
where gods made love
to little miss strange
foxy ladies in little red houses
over yonder

and on rainy days
would sit back
shoot craps
with laughin sams dice
while boastin bout who had
the most experience

III.

how that musebruise
of yo sadomasochistic bluesoozed
through floors and l.s.d. doors

left psychedelic relics wrecked
on phosphorescent shores

talkin bout that night
you got right
at yo height

rocked woodstock
played yo remade
american anthem

had all the flowers
in the garden chantin

go head brotha
piss off the power
structure brotha

say fuck ya
to the structure brotha
one mo time one last time
befo its yo last time brotha

stick/move
hit/run
stick/move hit/run
try to get
yo ass beyond
the grip of the grim one

try to get
yo ass out of
the sight line of death

try to get
yo ass past
the reach
the reaper

by dodgin
that sonofabitch
betwixt the expanse
of jangled cacophonous chords
and hidin out in shadows flooded with feedback
jimi         the anointed
jimi         the christ

jimi

you manically depressed
maniacally duressed
manifested messiah

impaled upon the neck
of that thang you loved the best
yo one hearts true burnin desire

jimi christ

forever walkin
on the waters
of a bad trip

turnin all of
them bad trips
into wine

castin yo net
upon the waters
of a bad trip
just to see whats there
for you to find

jimi christ
patron saint
of divine distortion

too soon
did you force
the hand of demise

but i aint pissed
gypsy eyes

cause right now
we diggin on the thought
of you and yo homeboy god

bein somewhere
out there in electric lady land
sippin celestial moonshine

bout to tune axes
cut heads
and go
toe to toe
blow for blow
lick for lick
stick for stick

jimi    christ

too soon did you force
the hand of demise
but i aint pissed
at you gypsy eyes

cause i dig that any mother lover
who lived a life like you led
deserved to die any death desired

to die youngto die
highto die stonedto
die freeto die youngto die high

to die stonedto die
freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

all we wanted was one time
just    one    time
to    stand    next    to    yo    fire

from Rattle #27, Summer 2007
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