edinburgh this summer

JONI MITCHELL

ok so im performing 
this summer 
at the Edinburgh fringe festival 
thrilled and nervous 

i have a few months to work on it 
piece by piece putting it together 
a blank canvas 
what will show up 

layer by layer 
I chunk it out 
with artists friends I love 
who will guide me thru 

lighting the lampposts of my soul 
so I might find my way 
in the darkest caverns
of my mind

will ingest all kinds of art 
books documentaries substack
i will speak kindly to myself 
close my eyes and jump 

to inspire the spark 
we wait for happy accidents 
for something to rise up 
from beneath - from above 

sometimes u connect 
to some force so much greater 
than urself 
gotta be god 

im thinking some combo 
of stand up and spoken word 
these 4 line diddies i do 
poems rambles prose 

ive never done them aloud 
i wonder if I will be brave enough 
to try 
slam poets move me so 

there will be memorizing 
that doesn’t come as easily 
to me as it once did 
its gonna be work 

and so much fun 
im so lucky to have had 
this astonishing career 
40 years of it - a lifetime 

the humans I’ve met 
my childhood heros
face to face 
in the flesh 

the best artists of 
my generation 
i have worked with 
learned from and loved 

my debt will never be paid 
to those who came before me 
for the inspiration 
for the spark 

and always - there is joni 
my North Star
i quote her daily 
my favorite poet 


Remember the days when you used to sit
And make up your tunes for love
And pour your simple sorrow
To the soundhole and your knee
And now you're seen
On giant screens
And at parties for the press
And for people who have slices of you
From the company
They toss around your latest golden egg
Speculation well who's to know
If the next one in the nest
Will glitter for them so


- for the roses - joni mitchell