Sugarland

While I was working on the Poem a Day project, I started writing a series of poems based on the songs of Sugarland (one of which has been posted here.)
I've decided to continue that. So keep an eye out for Sugarland poems to come.

I'm also working on recording myself performing Slam poems and will post those soon  - hopefully.

But for now here's this, a narrative poem that I am quite proud of:

The Lover, the Mother, and the Unscrupulous Brother

An ode to my lover, a note from my


mother, a lesson for my most unscrupulous

brother. Time may be patient and seem to

be kind, but healing my wounds takes a lot

more than words.



Dear you broke my dear heart when

I gave it to you and you turned from my

love and betrayed with my blood all the faith

that I had in our piece of forever.

You should have held loyal to tight binding chains

of the promises woven from your lips

to mine. But instead you chose him for your

arrows from Cupid and mine were torn out

leaving holes bleeding faith in a river

that leads to the circles of hell. If only

you had such a mind that could grasp all the

pain brought from words that he spewed

on the night when he wood you away.

Perhaps that would lend you the wisdom to

see that your wounds on my soul run as deep

as the sea and because I can’t swim I

am breathing in water and swallowing death.



Woman who raised me then tore down again

all my dreams and my hopes for a life free

of pain. I’m sure you will find if your life

keeps its grip on its sanity happily

wading through memories, never has

anyone loved you like me. The curse of

Penelope settled inside of your

once tender heart but instead of her faith

in the spirit of he who you claim to

have loved you ignored the years past and you

cast off your grief like a rain sodden hat.

Then you wrote to your son and told him to

chase love and I lost my whole life to your

payment for all of the time that I spent

pouring tears down the drain in my sorrow

for he who deserted the vows that he

made on the day when he pledged you his life.



My man, my friend, we once were so close but

now we have nothing but years in between

us and just like the rest of our hate-ridden

clan what’s left of our blood bond will soon start

to fade. I’d found what I wanted a woman

I loved and could smell my own happiness

settling upon me like snow on the ground

in the winter which leads happy bears with

full bellies to drift off to bliss as they

sleep finding true rest for months at a time.

But then you came along with your heat and

your light and you melted the snow so my

world was soggy and suddenly fraught

with the trappings of frescoes unfinished

so angels lack halos which renders them

men. Here’s the cost of your pride: you are now

like your mother and brother abandoned.



I need to move on and be done with this

life in order to grieve and start over

again. So call this farewell you won’t see

me again. I’m leaving right now and just

like all our love I’ll fade into the dusk.

by Julian Legere

A Midsummer Night's Mare

For the record, the title actually has nothing at all to do with the sonnet, I just think it is pretty clever so I attatched to the first thing I wrote that it sounded even vaguely similar to, and this second clause is only here so I don't end this sentence with a preposition.


A Midsummer Night’s Mare


by Julian Legere


Bright flames break through the darkest time of night

Despite their warmth I only sense the cold

Increasing more as time is growing old

Then in the dark there is a hellish sight



Slick tendrils tight upon the minds of men

They shake the earth and block the light of flame

With scent of brimstone make us all the same

Their tightened grip will bring about the end



A few can see the flames that hide behind

From always searching, frightened and enraged

Some fools will run to safety in their cage

Some wise, to save us, learn and help and find



Sweet freedom now is dancing on their tongues

Close to answers ending all these chases

Soon to have the warmth on smiling faces

And with new air and lightness fill starved lungs



I hear the clang of prisons op’ned wide

‘Tis only knowledge op’ned fearful minds

by Julian Legere

The Very Last Country Song

This is a poem inspired by Sugarland's incredible song of the same name

The Very Last Country Song

David sits at home alone

Still young he’s never known

the pain of love

till now



Alicia shuts the door and cries

Her husband in the kitchen doesn’t know

She doesn’t let him hear

her tears crash to the floor, for fear

of losing him



Miranda stares at a photo in its frame

of her and her husband

And she fills with shame

because the very next year

he died



But if life stayed the way it was

and lovers never fell out of love

If memories didn't last so long

If nobody did nobody wrong

If we knew what we had before it was gone

If every road led back home

This would be the very last country song



Alicia hates herself

for doing this to him

She tries to make excuses

but there’s just no way to win

‘cause she’s in love



David wants to leave

but doesn’t know how to do it

No father around to ask

He would now just how

to mask

the anger and the pain

but he died



Miranda’s son would flip

He needs his father back

She wants him just as bad

but what if this is it

What if this great man

Is her chance at love again



But if life stayed the way it was

And lovers never fell out of love

If memories didn't last so long

If nobody did nobody wrong

If we knew what we had before it was gone

If every road led back home

This would be the very last country song



Alicia has to tell him

she has to speak the truth

That nothing ever happened

and nothing ever will

Settling for less than more

she opens the bedroom door



Miranda lies in bed

with a man she knows she loves

Happy long at last

the guilt is washed away

by the knowledge in her heart:

they’re gonna be okay

As she smiles at his back

the bedroom door opens



David sees his mother’s tears

She didn’t know, she didn’t know

He needs to quell his fears

and tell her

He can’t stay any longer

in this town where love is dead



But if life stayed the way it was

And lovers never fell out of love

If memories didn't last so long

If nobody did nobody wrong

If we knew what we had before it was gone

If every road led back home

This would be the very last country song

If we knew what we had before it was gone



If every road led back home

This would be the very last country song.

by Julian Legere