ODE TO THE DREAMERS

ODE TO THE DREAMERS

I came into this family
With no expectations
No Facebook ID
No fears
Just my last name
And that was good enough for all of them

I was welcomed with open arms
And wide eyes
And gaping mouths
Amazed that I existed
And I am still amazed

Telling stories to me
Unheard of
And untold for a dog's age
Held in for just the right pair of ears

And I made eye contact with those
From the street
From the time
From the golden years
And I saw the light
Of the past in their eyes
Searing through me
Searching for a sign from Mike
My stare receiving
One love
For my Grandpa
A man of few possessions
Other than a club
Called home
By all those who made the street shine
Up and down MacDougal and 3rd
And positively 4th and Mercer
And points far flung
Yet rooted in the Village
International troubadours
Neighborhood heroes

Folk City was the home of the dreamers
It was "our living room"
It was "the Mecca"
It was "the crown jewel"
Once

But not now
Just a memory to most
A fortuitous gig for thousands
A forgotten footnote to others
And still unknown to less fortunate generations
But don't worry
I'll take care of that
Because the love pours through
Like a river carved in bedrock
Like a canyon in my veins
It carves through space and time
Into the hours of today

Because it lives in them
And it lives in me
Injected and infused
With the love and power
Of song
Poured out from within
Always in tune
With those who surround the sound
The song is heard in their head
But felt in their hearts

Regardless of sales
Or accolades
Or acceptance or fame
They held on to their vision
No matter the cost
No matter the loss
They stayed honest to themselves
To their art. Their craft. Their heart

And they were grateful
For the opportunity to
Show their wares
And share the stage
Shared by so many other
Dreamers
And crazies
And lovers
And ranters
And ravers
And friends and kindred spirits

Timeless
Endless
Immortal
For the closure of
Gerde's Folk City
Cemented their names
Into a time capsule
Fo' Eva'

It's finite and divine
Definite and no more
No more

They can carry it to their graves
Brag
Swagger and stagger
Into the sunset
As the ones who made history
When history was still being made
And it mattered

And it still matters