Tuesday, July 01, 2008

... but nobody wants to die.

That's part of a blues song. "Every one's talking about getting to Heaven, but nobody wants to die." Blues people tend to be realists and I try to emulate the best of them by laying around most of the day and staying up late at night waiting to be tempted by the devil in the form of a woman in a red or blue dress. Rarely does this occur, so I tend toward idleness and other sinful action certain to keep me out of God's good grace and it has finally come to my attention that when the boys at R&I in Heaven's precinct pull my jacket, I will not be allowed entrance to the supernal eternal lands beyond the pearly gates. Sort of cheeses me off that I might be at the cross roads of eternal damnation while the angel grandpa from Bil Keane's Family Circus cuts a deal with St. Peter so it will snow and his grand kids can try out their new sleds. I don't remember much about Gramps Keane before he died, but, since he did, he sure gets A1 service up there in Paradise. Like I said, it bugs me, so I went looking for some folks who seem to think Heaven is a lead pipe cinch at the end of the trail and after checking them out, I'm pretty sure Heaven may not be the place for me to bump around after I die. Please allow me to share;



Any question that these people doubt their place in the after life? None in my mind, so I'm not so blue about missing the golden rocket. No, I'll take my chances with that bunch who hang around after the the band stops playing. I've always had fine times with people who like music and been real happy with the friends I made because of it. Maybe that's been my heaven all along. If there is any other sort of after life left for me, I can only hope they have a nice selection of books and that it is not too cold or too hot. I need to think about this in hopes that there will be something forthcoming for the bits and pieces of good I have done over the years. Hope I can have a dog.

4 comments:

Ms. Moon said...

That was freakin' beautiful.
So yeah, we'll all be at the bar with Keith Richards, right? Our cozy rooms right down the street where there are shelves of good books, big ducks to sleep under, down pillows to shape under us for best reading positions and a small (for me) dog to curl up at our feet.
Sounds too lovely.

May said...

When I was a kid and people would ask me what religion I was I always first thought about music. I'm in the really good gettin' down music religion, thank you very much. Sounds like you are too. That was a beautiful post.
Oh- and that "Thank you for the Dove" album cover? Good God, that is some funny stuff right there.

myuglyface said...

I am personally quite comfortable with the traditional Christian concepts of heaven. With the possible exception of "streets paved with gold". I am no civil engineer, but I have to think gold is not the best material to lay down as a road surface.

texino said...

Oh hi. I think that the streets paved with gold is just a design feature and that 14K is probably OK for walking around on. I have always taken songs like "There are no garbage trucks in Heaven" to imply that people don't drive up there as a a rule. I guess Heaven is a place of quiet reflection. On the other hand, having seen the Vincente Minnelli film "Cabin in The Sky" a bunch of times one could take the opinion that Black Person Heaven is a fairly jumping spot to face forever. I need to study on this. Texino