by Paul Matthews

I know who you are.
Every daylight hour
your shadow kicks
at my brickwork.

•

I have held this
ground for you
to test love’s word
in the fine anger
that you burn with.

•

If the Earth is round
then with shoes
worn thin you will find
the other side of me.

•

You know who I am.
In a moment neither
dark nor day you could
scrawl your name here.

by Paul Matthews

A bird on a bone
sat thinking
naught about nothing.

Then along came Jack,
swaggering like the Fool
out of the old pack.

Nobody knows
how the bird spoke,

but Jack in reply said:
I inhabit each turn
of the winding track

with this stick in my hand
and a basket full of air
upon my back.

by Wynn Heliczer

Beard *
song from The Missing Beat Project, Wynn Heliczer ©

Where can I now find your beard?
Where can I now find your rings
Underneath French earth or heaven’s glory, dad, is it glory?

Touch me like you touch your beard
Turn me like you turn your rings
Cover me with words, make me your story, dad, your story.

Wear me like your beard
Wear me like your rings
Carry me to bed, tell me a story, dad, a story

I saved every hair you shaved
I tried each of your rings
They should be round you should be here
To live our story, dad, our story . . .

* written answerly to Piero Heliczer’s:

i once had a girl named wynn
who loved every hair on my chin
whenever i shaved she had each one saved
and kept them in a beautiful tin

by Wynn Heliczer

Amazing America
song from The Missing Beat Project, Wynn Heliczer ©
about Piero Heliczer in America, 1950s

Glorious! Glorious! America so glorious!
Work hard: be glorious! Smile wide: be glorious!

To grow up in Amazing America
Possibilities te over
Don’t matter where you com from
Here you can start all over

Education? Come and get it
Scholarship? Just rock it!
Harvard? Yale? Choose your match
Science award in the pocket

Glorious! Glorious! Piero you’ll be glorious!
Work hard: be glorious! Smile wide: be glorious!

To grow up in Amazing America
Doughnuts covered with sprinkles
Skyscrapers tickle the stars from the sky
Voor alles één winkel

French fries the American way
Catch up with ketchup galore
Forget about pasta with pesto
Mac & cheese is what we live for

Glorious! Glorious! Piero you’ll be glorious!
Work hard: be glorious! Smile wide: be glorious!
Glorious? Glorious? Things there were different
Glorious? Glorious? He’d heard that all before

He had to find his own gutter,
not one that’s created for him
He longed for the middle ages
And America bestond toen nog niet

To grow up in America, Drive in, drive thru Shoot with your gun
Plastic fantastic America, How are ya, how are you, Everything is FUN

To THROW UP in Amazing America
Gotta get out of here
Plastic AND SPASTIC America
Right now it’s just not for me . . .