Reliquary

(album: The Kennedy Suite - 2014)

Out of the brilliant sky in Dealy Plaza
Like a spinning taco chip of fate
Into the salsa bowl of cosmic wonder
Dropped a fragment of the head of state
Caught it bare-handed in full extension
Like Willie Mays at the Polo Grounds
Except I didn't hit the cut off man
I kept it for myself
Now it's…
In the center of my reliquary
In the basement of my bungalow
Behind the picket fence that leans like crooked teeth
In my scale model of the grassy knoll
Tourists coming through may find me creepy
But fees just love me, this I know
I see bags & bags of money floating in
The formaldehyde of my eyes
I kept the bottom jaw of Ruby's dog
As a clip for my bolo tie
The paws I had sold at auction
Built the extension on my garage
Where in the rafters curled in 12-gauge plastic
With a red pen behind her ear
Lee Harvey Oswald's fourth grade teacher
Every fall I give her legs a stretch
In the center of my reliquary
We do a loosy-goosy Skip-To-My-Lou
In my tux with the magic bullet cufflinks
And a blood shot boutineer
Dosey-doe, pop your partner in a limousine
Let their back brace keep them in your sights
Look, there's bags & bags of money floating in
The cross-hares of your eyes
Sometimes I think, let him rest in peace
Like a collector's commemorative plate
When I think that I'm really thinking
Rest in peace, ya pieces of eight!
Rest in peace, ya pieces of eight!
Rest in peace? Ya, pieces of eight!
'Cause I have bits of Jack and Jackie floating in
The formaldehyde of my eyes
I see Caroline and John-John floating in
The formaldehyde of my eyes
I see placemats, coffee mugs floating in
The formaldehyde of my eyes
I see t-shirts, hit records floating in
The formaldehyde of my eyes…
In the middle of my reliquary
Got the American Dream in a jar