"Asterisks after innocence"

"My Girls" Vietnam War, 1968
photo by Mike Marcellino

 Copyright 2009

Asterisks after innocence
by mike marcellino

Living
in forgotten times
shot, struck down
nine eleven
seven eleven
mortars
rockets
IEDs
fire balls
in the tallest towers
a thirty-eight stub nose
or
nine millimeter
in the corner store
asterisks after innocence.

Living
in forgotten times
shot,
struck down
by Viet Cong
terrorists
Audie Murphy -
Wha'd you say?
Hey hey,
Don't you know,
Barry Bonds
was once Willie Mays
asterisks after innocence.

Living in forgotten times
shot,
struck down
by armies
of good people -
Muslims
Germans
The NVA
Special Forces of The USA.
Shot, struck down
mothers
children
fathers
grandparents.
Shot,
struck down
listening to
dictators
democrats
deciders.
Asterisks after innocence
living
in forgotten times.

Copyright Mike Marcellino, 2008

Reflections on "Asterisks"


Perhaps it's the times - wars, collapse of our financial system and housing values, a deep recession.
Perhaps it's what a few people wrote in response to a column I wrote about the growing crisis of hunger in America.


Perhaps for both reasons, or no reason at all, I dug out a poetry song I wrote in early 2008, nearly two years ago. The piece was recorded by my first band, Split Peace, before my entry on Facebook and ReverbNation. I recorded and performed "Asterisks"  with Abe Olvido, a multimedia artist and sound innovator, in Cleveland.


This September, we formed a new folk band when, after a decade absence, I returned to a place I love, St. Augustine, Florida to visit an Army buddy, Tomas Texino, a musician and writer.  Working together, with Tomas, playing mandolin and guitar and composing the music, we recorded four songs, three new and one old, "Bondi beach."  Later, I traveled to visit music friends in Brooklyn, New York and there musician Randall Leddy joined with me, playing guitar and composing "Flatbush," about the West Indian neighborhood the Dutch founded in the 1500s.
  
Our new band is simply called Mike Marcellino and in nine weeks ranks in the top 10% of Folk Artists on ReverbNation's New York City, National and Global charts.

(The band's now has reached as high as #19 Top Folk Artists in New York City and is currently at #28. Our listeners come from virtually every state and many other countries, from England, Ireland and Australia to Germany, China, South Korea and Russia, among many others.)


Not sure what all this means, if anything, but I love to body surf and have learned to tolerate a wetsuit now that the Atlantic water's down to 65 degrees.

From time to time, I'll share past poetry songs and recordings, like "Asterisks," along with new ones.

"Asterisks" seems like such a long time ago, as so much has happened in the world since the late winter of 2008. I decided to post it here, now. Somehow the song seems more meaningful now than ever.

Postscript: Hard to image it's been nearly three years since I wrote this backstory about "Asterisk's after innocence."  It's a powerful song, even to the writer.  

A lot has happened in three years, but we've fallen on the New York City folk charts to #42.  But, as i think Iris Dement once said, "It's not a race."  Or maybe a lot of us said that. (I grew tired trying to keep up with the Internet world.)

I again offer this song to you as our children are so so important to our world.  We must love and care for them.  They should not go wanting and have a chance to be happy. 

If you'd like to listen to "Asterisks" go to the music box at the top of my blog here.  Let's us know what you think about it.  That would mean a lot, hearing from you all. - Mike