The Poem

When I was about 6 years of age, a wise old man - we will simply call him Eusebio, told me a story - and this is how it was told.

There was a time, when I was planning to live forever. However, I found it necessary to change those plans. I never understood what he meant until I myself became a middle-aged man. Down on my luck, homeless, jobless, hungry and broke, I picked up my guitar; leashed up my dearest and only friend and took a walk down the railroad tracks. Repeating the old man's words over and over silently in my head, I didn't realize the speeding locomotive heading straight towards me until the end. From nowhere, a strong force of energy blew me away. My guitar flew one way, my dog flew the other way and I flew straight into the air. I came crashing down head first with a great thud. The fall busted my head open on the cold rails of the track. I awoke several hours later to my dog licking my wounds. As I sat there dazed and confused, wondering how and why I was still alive, a dark shadow figure approached me. It told me not to look at him whilst he picked up and tuned my guitar. He handed me my guitar along with a little black notebook. Frightened and delusional, I sat there for what seemed to be an eternity. When I finally mustered the strength to pick myself up, I ran like hell for about the next hour - towards the beautiful lights of the skyline of San Antonio, Texas. Finally coming to a stand still, I sat at a bus stop and stared at this little black notebook for what seemed like hours. Eventually, I gathered the courage to open it and investigate its contents. As I flipped through the pages front to back and back to front, over and over again, I found only blank pages throughout. Disappointed, cold, hungry, sober and tired, I passed out on the bus bench. When I awoke, I took a stroll under the bridge where I had been living for the past year. Angry with my life, I threw the book down in front of me and it opened up to a page with scribbled words that I had not seen before. I was astonished and bewildered, as this writing was absent when I first had reviewed its pages. I picked up the little black notebook and realized the scribbled writing was a poem. The poem read as follows:

The Devil and the Angel / The devil always wins/ The angel drops her wings and gives in to sin/ You know you'll never win for your fate is in my hands. Like I said before, obey all of my commands/ It's a good day in heaven but a better day in hell / The paths open up so that I can tell this tale - of a story that you know so well/ It is about a man trapped deep within his mind and it is all caused because he does not know that he is blind/ And deep within his heart, you will never find - the dark twisted thoughts he'll never tell you that he is fine/ And if he ever does, you'll watch your tears fall like doves/ Like the blood that spills from Christ above/ Blessing all of us with love to save us from our sins but little does he know that he will never win/ For I am the Devil, the master of disguise - the one you think is true but is always telling lies/ The one who hates you but loves you when you are mine/ Your friend never but your enemy all the time/ I am God - Father, Son and Spirit - everyday you are living is because your sins, I have forgiven/ Your friend you believe I am not, because my rival has got you caught/ Lose faith not my child, for in his arms you might end up/ Embraced in eternal life, forever to never see the sun/ My child I have forgiven, into hell you are welcome.

As I was reading the poem, I did not realize that I had been picking at the strings of my black guitar - humming along in my head and hearing music from afar. So I took a walk to the tourist attractions of downtown San Antonio. Trying my luck at rock and roll, I sang this poem with all my heart and soul. People began throwing money at me like rain sent from heaven above. When it was all said and done, I had picked up what seemed to be a ton. Much to my surprise, there were no single dollar bills but there were plenty of ten, twenty and hundred dollars filled. Excited as heck, I picked them all up and began giving back to others who shared my similar luck. Afterwards, I made my way to a favorite bar of mine to have myself a cold one and slowly pass the time. It was the fastest I had ever downed a beer in my life - so much so, that I found myself having to drain the lizard before much time. As I recounted the load of dead presidents in my stash, the total amount amazingly added up to $20K cash! The door to the stall that I was in, flew open and hit me dead square on my chin - suddenly, I awoke where I had been. My whimpering dog was staring straight into my eyes, as I realized it had all been a dream I had surmised. Although I am still broke, hungry, sober, and cold - it was The Best Day of My Life, for I am not alone. I turned and kissed my dog as I cried myself back to sleep, I leave you all now with this darkest of dreams.