Lullaby (after James Taylor and in Tradition)
Bye n bye
close your eyes
see
the pretty horses
flying
dream skying
Darkness reveals
cosmos unseals
path of light
it’s all right
stars shine
spinning
Tomorrow’s wishes
wordless hushes
like birds
pretty horses
butterflying
sleepy eyes
It won’t be long
little one
morning will come
music of the sun
ride those dreams
to dawn
I’ve been dreaming of horses, and Sue Vincent’s photo prompt of a nursery with a prominent rocking horse made me think of the lullaby, “All the Pretty Little Horses”. And lullabies always make me think of James Taylor, because I used to sing his songs to my girls when they were babies. I’ve referenced “Close Your Eyes” here. Another favorite lullaby is “Bye N Bye”. I seem to remember an Odetta recording, but I couldn’t find it online, so I’m not sure where I originally heard it.
My babies are adults now, but a lullaby is always appropriate for dreaming.
And that James Taylor recording…oh yes, my friends and I all had a crush on James in 1971.
29 responses to “Lullaby (after James Taylor and in Tradition)”
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- - May 4, 2017
method two madness 
Great structure. Flowed well, very nicely done. Good stuff! You’ve got my follow. Check out my comedy blog and give it a follow if you like it!
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Just to let you know, you were in our spam file (which we don’t check that often as you can tell). Thanks for the complement!
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No problem!
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Reblogged this on Sue Vincent's Daily Echo.
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Thanks Sue!
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Beautiful. I should be reading this at bedtime and not first thing in the morning. 🙂
I never thought of this before, but the word “lullaby” sounds like what it is, doesn’t it?
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Thanks Merril.
It does! I never thought about it either. Well, you can start off by dreaming this morning…
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🙂
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Yes, to the crush on JT. So mysterious and brooding, how could we resist? But then, what about Davey Jones or Paul or Peter Tork (we had 4 girls in our family and we had to pick ONE Monkee and since I was 2nd in seniority, I had to pick Peter!) or Peter Cetera? RE: your art translation – the circle and horses – so much lovely movement in this collage!
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It’s interesting, my daughters never had those crushes, at least that I knew of. But our lives were filled with them. JT is one that holds up well.
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Ditto 4 girls in our family with the Beatles and I got Ringo 😁
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so beautifully magical!!
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Thanks Jodi. Dreams, children, horses…can’t escape magic there!
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Still have a crush on JT. Saw him in concert in the 90’s, a perfect storyteller.
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He is. The voice is older, but even richer for the years.
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Who didn’t have a crush on him in 1971. He still is an amazing storyteller and songbird.
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Yes he is.
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Beautiful collage! And I’m sorry to say that the version of “All the Pretty Little Horses” I heard in my formative years was the most disturbing one around (see Joan Baez); so I appreciate your hopeful and genuinely child-friendly approach!
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Thanks Sunshine. I’m still stuck in circles!
A lot of lullabies are disturbing, like folk songs in general and folk tales. Our present culture likes to make everything nice (see Walt Disney). But I think children understand and accept more than we give them credit for.
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Definitely. Perhaps I might have slept a Little better without thinking about bees and butterflies eating the eyes out of dead lambs… 😉 But on the other hand it did wonders for my ability to write dark fiction!
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I’m a hopeless romantic
I love James Taylor also
his first album reminds me of my
Real first girlfriend
Oh to be young and foolish
As Sheldon Always
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Well we can still be old and foolish, right?
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Yes why not
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And your poem makes me think of Peter Paul and Mary..well done!!
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Yes they were on heavy rotation during my youth for sure. thanks!
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One of my favorite songs by James Taylor! ❤ Lovely collage and verse! 😊
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Beautiful poem Kerfe, and yep…James Taylor 71 was something else 💕
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Yes he was, thanks.
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