Hope Springs Eternal & So Does Willie Nelson
Posted in honor of his 88th birthday!
Another death hoax? Gee, how original…
You folks ain’t fickle—guess I’ll give ya points
fer grit if not fer gumption. I’ve rolled joints
my friends, far stiffer than my tricky ankle,
imbibed red wine that’s older than yer gran’;
this here bandana holds more DNA
than most small countries on a holiday,
so keep your Internet! Just leave the bedpan
close, gas up the bus, & brace for twenty
more long years—well, give or take a decade.
The road’s a callin’, songs are in my head,
& my ol’ guitar plays as good as any;
there’s plenty weed to smoke & hair to braid:
So’s far as I can tell, I’m still not dead.
SLHARPERPOETRY 
That was fun to read! He’s one of my favourites. Thanks, Stephanie!
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Delightful hats-off to Willie’s ongoing presence in our ears, hearts, minds … what a gift he’s been to my generation!
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😊
This poem was inspired by Bob back in 2017 during my Tupelo Press 30/30 project. He commissioned a “Petrarchan sonnet” with the words “weed, guitar, and wine” in it and ending with “two words from a Willie Nelson song,” and this is what he got!
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You and Bob collaborate beautifully! Pretty sure Willie would like this … as a huge Willie fan, I certainly do. I’m not much for weed, but guitar + wine + that unique voice? Sends me to delightful places!
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What a team!
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