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Aubade with a Thistle Bush Holding Six Songs
- Southern Illinois University Press
- Chapter
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65 AubadewithaThistleBushHoldingSixSongs Amantoldmethathehadwastedhislife.Ididnotknowhim. Wewereonatrainmovingfromonetrespasstothenext, thefieldsinthewindowsshiftingutterlyintodaybreak. Hetoldmeabouttheguitarheboughtwithalittlecash savedatoddjobs,howhecouldnotplaybutkeptthething asasymbolforfailure. AllIknowaboutthismanwasthathishatslopedoverhiseyes andthewayhekepthishandsclose, asifholdingasparrowwithfewsongsleftinitsthroat. Therailsbelowusweremakingcomparisons asiftheyweresayinglookatthethorntreegonewild, lookatthegravelkickedontheties. Iwonderedaboutthehollowoftheguitarandofthevoiceoftheman. It’salwayslikethisontrains—theburnofyourear whenastrangerspeaksoverthesuncuttingthroughwindows. Iwaslikeasheswithoutfeeling.Iwasliketheworsewrongofpity, likerainonmetalrailings.Ididn’tlistentohisstory, thoughthatwashisgift.Hewantedsomethingbrave andsopassedabreaththroughmyear,toowarmforthehour. Ilookedpastthemanthroughthewindowandsawthreebirds onathistlebushblurby,thenanotherthreeflyingfromsomewhere andthoughtofthesixstringsonthisman’sguitar.Eachnote thenameofastrangerwho’saskedmeforanear.Eachnotelikedawn pouringthroughthewindows.Somenamesrise. Somenamesareleftatthestation.Theycanwearcheapsuits ordrinksweetwine,butit’sthestoryofthename—thosesparrows stucktoathistle.Andhowtheysang,howtheysang. ...