ALFRED THE COWBOY and THE NEW DAY
ALFRED THE COWBOY
and
THE NEW DAY
ALFRED THE COWBOY WAS RIDING ALONG
HE WAS PLAYING GUITAR AND SINGING A SONG
HE LOOKED AT HIS HANDS AND SO HE SAW
THAT HIS LEFT ONE HAD CHANGED INTO A PAW
HE LOOKED AT HIS RIGHT AND WHAT DID HE SEE?
IT TOO WAS CHANGING AND WOULD SOON BE
WELL HE COULD HE PLAY GUITAR THIS WAY
HE’D BE AN ANIMAL BY THE END OF THE DAY
BUT THEN HE REMEMBERED WHEN HE WAS A KID
HE SAW THE ANIMALS AND DID AS THEY DID
HE RAN AND JUMPED AND CRAWLED ON THE GROUND
HE HID IN PLACES HE COULD NOT BE FOUND
JUST THEN A VULTURE FLEW OVER HEAD
IT ASKED FOR THE LOCATION OF A GOOSE DOWN BED
“THEY’RE ALL I SLEEP IN THESE DAYS YOU KNOW
AND THE GOOSE DOWN MUST BE AS WHITE AS SNOW”
BUT ALFRED SAID NO, HE KNEW OFNO PLACE
AND SO THE BIRD LEFT AFTER GROWING A FACE
AND ALFRED COULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT HE’S SEEN
BUT NOW THE SKY WAS CHANGING TO GREEN
THE SAND WAS BLOWING UP IN A STORM
THE SUN WAS GROWING AND GETTING QUITE WARM
THROUGH THE WIND BLOWN SAND HE PEERED
OUT WALKED A MAN IN BLACK ROBES AND A BEARD
HE WALKED QUITE SLOWLY, HE LEANED ON A CANE
THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT HIM HE DID NOT LOOK QUITE SANE
HE RAISED HIS ARMS AND SAID SOME WORDS
AND THEN THE SKY WAS FILLED WITH BIRDS
HE COMMANDED THEM TO LAND AT HIS FEET
SAID MORE WORDS AND HAD THE BIRDS REPEAT
THEN THEY STARTED GROWING TO FIVE AND SIX FEET TALL
THIS MAN WITH THE BEARD WAS CHANGING THEM ALL
WELL ALFRED SLIPPED OFF HIS HORSE AND HE FELL
HIS LEGS AND HIS ARMS WERE BEGINNING TO SWELL
HE CRAWLED AWAY ON ALL FOUR PAWS
WHICH, BY NOW, WERE COMPLETE WITH CLAWS
BUT LET’S FORGET ABOUT ALFRED AND GET BACK TO THE VULTURE
WHO IS OBVIOUSLY A BIRD OF SOME ACQUIRED CULTURE
HE, BY NOW, HAD NOT WINGS BUT ARMS
AND SO WAS SITTING ON A FENCE BETWEEN FARMS
HE COULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT HE SAW THERE
THE CHICKENS HAD NOT FEATHERS BUT HAIR
HE LOOKED AROUND AND SAW MUCH MORE
THE COWS AND HORSES HAD TWO LEGS NOT FOUR
THE SUN HAD MELTED TREES AND HOUSE RIGHT DOWN
IN A MATTER OF SECONDS THEY WERE FLAT AS THE GROUND
AND NOTHING STOOD TALL BUT HALF ANIMAL, HALF MAN
THEN THE SKIES RANG OUT LIKE A FORTY PIECE BAND
THE MAN IN BLACK ROBES STOOD HIGH ABOVE ALL
HE LOOKED DOWN ON THE LAND FROM A HUNDRED FEET TALL
HIS DEEP BLACK SHADOW STRETCHED FAR ACROSS THE LAND
HE PICKED UP AN ANIMAL TO HOLD IN HIS HAND
THE ANIMAL HE HELD WAS NEITHER MAN NOR CREATURE
IT LOOKED LIKE MUTANT WITH NO DISTINGUISHING FEATURE
BUT THEN THROUGH THE SKIES A LOUD ROAR WAS HEARD
THE MAN IN BLACK ROBES KEPT SAYING ONE WORD
“HOLAND, HOLAND, HOLAND” HE SAID
THEN DROPPED THE ANIMAL AND HELD ONTO HIS HEAD
THEN SOME CLOUDS FORMED AND BLOCKED OUT THE SUN
“OH WITHER MY BROTHER WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?”
THE VOICE SPOKE QUITE LOUDLY IT CAME FROM UP HIGH
THE MAN IN BLACK ROBES YELLED BACK TO THE SKY
“I AM BRINGING PEACE TO THIS PLANET OF MINE
BEFORE YOU CAME I WAS DOING JUST FINE
SO GO NOW BY BOTHER AND LET ME BE
FOR IF YOU DON’T
I WILL ALSO CHANGE THEE”
WITH THAT ANOTHER HUNDRED FOOT MAN APPEARED
BUT HE WAS IN WHITE ROBES AND LONG FLOWING BEARD
“WHY DO YOU WISH TO MAKE THIS PLACE NEW?
THE COURSE OF THIS PLANET IS NOT UP TO YOU”
“HOLAND MY BROTHER YOU ARE SUCH A FOOL
I AM CHANGING THIS PLANET AND GIVING ANIMALS THE RULE
LOOK WHAT MAN HAS DONE TO THIS PLACE
HE HAS DESTROYED EVERYTHING BUT HIS OWN RACE
THIS WORLD IS NOTHING BUT SMOG AND POLLUTION
BUT I THE GREAT WITHER HAVE BEGUN THE SOLUTION
I AM CHANGING THE ANIMALS INTO MAN
AND GIVING THEM THE CHANCE TO DO WHAT THEY CAN”
“I WILL NOT LET YOU DO THIS WITHER MY BROTHER
THERE IS ONLYONE PLACELIKE THIS THERE SHALL BE NO OTHER”
“YOU DARE TO TEST YOUR POWERS ON ME
JUST ONE INCANTATION THEN YOU WILL SEE”
WITH THAT THEY BOTH GREW TO ENORMOUS HEIGHT
THE GROUND WAS TREMBLING AS THEY STARTED THE FIGHT
THE SKY WAS BLACKED WITHOUT ANY SUN
EACH ANIMAL STARED UPWARDS AS THE FIGHT BEGUN
LIGHTNING BOLTS FLASHED BACK AND FORTH, FORTH AND BACK
EACH ONE WAS DODGING THE OTHER’S ATTACK
THEN ALL THE WATERS FROM THE PLANET BELOW
BEGAN SHOOTING UPWARDS IN ONE GIANT FLOW
THEY SHOT TOWARDS HOLAND WITH TREMENDOUS FORCE
BUT TRY AS HE COULD HE COULD NOT ALTER ITS COURSE
IT STRUCK HIM SO HARD HE BEGAN ROLLING THROUGH SPACE
HE GRABBED ONTO A MOON TO HOLD HIMIN PLACE
HIS BROTHER WITHER WAS STANDING OFF FAR
SO HE REACHED OUT AND WHIRLED A FLAMING STAR
IT HIT WITHER RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF HIS ROBE
THERE WAS A GREAT BURST OF LIGHT LIKE AN ELECTRONIC STROBE
WITHER WAS HURT YOU COULD EASILY TELL
HE TRIED TO STAND BUT ONY FELL
HOLAND DID NOT LET UP WITH HIS BLOWS
BUT HE MISSED MORE OFTEN WITH MORE OF HIS THROWS
AND WITHER CAUGHT SOME BUT HE DID NOT THROW BACK
INSTEAD HE PILED THEM IN ONE LARGE STACK
“AND NOW DEAR HOLAND YOU SHALL LEARN OF MY POWER”
WITH THAT THE STAR BEGAN TO FLOWER
FROM EACH STAR THERE WERE STRANDS OF LIGHT
THEY INTERWEAVED AND BECAME QUITE BRIGHT
AND THE WHOLE OUTER SPACE WAS JUST ONE LARGE NET
SUCH AN AWESOME SIGHT I WILL NEVER FORGET
THE NET SURROUNDED HOLAND AND HELD HIM DOWN TIGHT
HE STRUGGLED AND STRUGGLED WITH ALL OF HIS MIGHT
BUT TRY AS HE COULD HE COULD NOT BREAK FREE
THEN THE NET SHRANK AND SHRANK TO THE SIZE OF A BEE
THEN IN ONE BURST OF LIGHT IT WAS GONE IN A FLASH
THE STARS ALL RETURNED AND SO ENDED THE CLASH
ALFRED BY NOW WAS COVERED WITH HAIR
HIS LEGS AND HIS BODY RESEMBLED A BEAR
A MAN SAT OFF FAR, IT WAS THE VULTURE HE KNEW
HE PLAYED A GUITAR, AND THE SKY WAS DEEP BLUE
THE BIRDS WERE SINGING, THE GRASS WAS GREEN
I LOOKED ALL AROUND IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL SCENE
TWO HUMAN FIGURES STOOD IN A STRAIGHT FORWARD POSE
THEY STOOD LOOKING AT EACH OTHER AS THE SUN ROSE
THE SILHOUETTE OF THEIR FIGURES WAS A BEAUTIFUL SIGHT
BUT THE QUESTION REMAINED, WAS ALL OF THIS RIGHT?
WITHER JUST STOOD THERE IN HIS ROBE OF BLACK
HE VIEWED HIS CREATION BOTH FRONT AND BACK
HE LIKED WHAT HE SAW AND HE WAS PROUD TO SAY
“I HAVE CHANGED THIS WHOLE PLANET SO BEGINS THE NEW DAY
I AM THE ONE TO GIVE THIS PLANET A NEW BIRTH
AND I SHALL CALL THIS NEW PLANET EARTH”
WITH THAT HIS BODY FADED INTO THE GROUND
I SEARCHED FOR HIM BUT NOT A TRACE COULD BE FOUND
SO YOU MAY ASK THE QUESTION, WELL JUST WHO AM I?
I AM THE SUN, THE MOON AND THE SKY
I WAS HERE IN THE BEGINNING AND I SHALL STAY TO THE END
SO IF YOU ARE WISE YOU WILL BECOME MY FRIEND
AT LEAST JUST LISTEN TO THESE WORDS THAT I SAY
IF YOU FAIL ONCE AGAIN THERE SHALL BE NO NEW DAY
© Mel Lindstrom Registration Number / Date: TXu000079850 / 1981-08-06
