Tom Lehrer (A Poem)

your
bondage pigeons
and
smut crusades
have knocked me out
since
I first
sneaked your
albums
away from my
fathers
collection
and
hid them
among my own

I played them
when the sun went down
in my
pitch black bedroom
(with just the red light from my record player shining)
and
as my parents snored...
I laughed into my pillowcase
with grossly oversized
headphones
perched on my preteen noggin

I'm playing you again
tonight
and I
am
back on
Livingston Street
11 years of age
without
a
real
care in the world

(Now
if only I can find
my
The Outsiders
book
I may shrink
and have this beard
grow inward
back into my
head)

as every fool
played the
Grease soundtrack
I was with you
laughing

growing up
knowing I had a gem
in my pocket
that none of my
peers
had
made me fell....

well

pretty damned special

and
with your
horrible voice
in the background
bouncing off my walls
I
thank
you

tonight

you taught
me a very good lesson

if you want to be
serious
if you want to say
fuck you

do it
with humor

make them laugh
as you apply
your knee
to their groin

  *This poem can be found in my book Talk Me Down*