We Need Another Drag Queen

There’s always a bit of truth in honored legends and fables

Sometimes more of one than the other from both sides of the table

I hear the story told about a drag queen and a shoe

And resisting arrest for something that, well wasn’t new

Being gay back then was really a horrific crime

You could be beaten or even killed - you weren’t worth a breath in time

But there were these drag queens who just wouldn’t give up

And settle for a life of bondage in the back of the bus

A little Inn called Stonewall is where it all took place

All because of ignorance and prejudice and hate

The cops pressed the queens and they had really had enough

Make no mistake about it a drag queen can tough

He has to be for all he’s been through

Maybe that’s why he decided to throw that shoe

The shoe that started a riot that’s how the legend goes

Truth or not – irrelevant I suppose

The truth is in the story or what can be gleaned

Remember Stonewall – we need another drag queen

Someone to stand up when “real men” are scared

Someone to face the bullets when no one else would dare

I didn’t know this young man the one who threw the shoe

But I’d like to hug his neck and tip him a dollar or two

Memories

Mama used to rock me in the whacky-bang chair

While words of Bye Oh Baby sweetly filled the air

She would rock me and pat me until asleep for the night

Then lay me down and tuck me in tight

The very thought brings joy and a smile to my face

Fond memories of childhood can never be replaced

Helen Hunt Jackson’s poem, September

She would quote and boast I still remember

She would speak of Zane Gray and the books that he wrote

 “Rider’s of the Purple Sage” was her favorite to note

She loved to cook, sew and grow in the garden

She was slow to anger and quick to pardon

Uneducated but intelligent beyond measure

Her every word without a doubt a treasure

Simple to most but those who knew her well

Knew of a story simple words could never tell

The meals she cooked would rival any chef’s

Using only the ingredients she had on the shelf

Flowers so beautiful one of every kind

That’s where she spent a lot of her time

Memories of childhood a complete delight

Great to brighten my day or night

Take a look back and I’m sure you will find

Those treasured memories way back in your mind