89 days into lockdown. And here I am looking back with nostalgia …
I want to be back
Back sitting on someone’s floor
at a party I’ve gatecrashed
listening to some gorgeous long haired guy
singing, ‘Suzanne takes you down’
And I want to see again
those photos of Elvis
having his hair cut for the army
And I want to be again
sneaking into my first X film
hiding cigarettes from my parents
holding hands with someone I’ve only just met
dancing obscenely close in some Soho cellar
I want to be kissed again
for the very first time
I want to hear Buddy Holly on a juke box
Sip my first coke in a Wimpy bar
my first rum and coke in a real bar
I want to be hearing Dylan
The Beatles
The Everly Brothers
Leonard Cohen
for the very first time
I want to be hugged by my mum and dad
I want to be back
Take me back
But here I am
in bed with Leonard Cohen
And his ‘Book of Longing’
Longing to be back.
“In Bed With Leonard Cohen” was first published in “Wonderland.” ( 2019, Woodland Press)
Copies of this poetry book can be obtained from me. Simply comment below leaving your email address and I will get back to you. The cost of the book is £6.50 including postage within the UK. 50% of any profit from sales will be given to the NHS.
© Andrea Neidle, My Life in Poems
© Portrait of Leonard Cohen by M.R.
Thoughtful as always, Andrea.
As you are into Leonard Cohen you might also be interested in Theatre of Dreams by Polly Samson – a fictitious account of his time with Marianne and others on Hydra in the hedonistic Sixties.
LikeLike
Thanks Brian. I’ll certainly check it out. We saw the documentary about their relationship, “Leonard and Marianne” which was made by Nick Broomfield. Well worth watching if you haven’t already seen it.
LikeLike