I’ve been out of practice with lyric writing for a long time. For 9 months I was taking music classes, and the amount of homework and practice was such that I had no time for songwriting. So I’m “out of shape.” One of the exercises I give myself to get back into shape is to write poems. Now, I’m a songwriter, not a poet. So this is not good poetry; it’s crap. But writing crap poetry gets me working with words in a rhythmic way, and an economical way, which is essential to writing good song lyrics.

So here’s a couple more that I wrote in the last week. See the two previous posts also.

Carkeek Park, Seattle
by Rob Roper 1st draft 7/26/16

I’m in the woods
ivy-covered trees
crows yakking
picking wild blackberries
walking across a wooden bridge
over a salmon stream

The trees open to reveal
a grassy park
and a view of the bay
Railroad tracks
run across a rocky beach
a man fishes in hip-deep water

15 minutes ago
I was in the city
cars and trucks
streets and red lights
oil change and transmission shops
neighborhoods
houses with TVs
refrigerators and computers.

I prefer the woods.