La Joyeuse
Keith Kouna
The Joyful One
She’s called the girl with big eyes
She’s called the melon seller
She’s called the countess of St-Gueux
Life is beautiful under her skirts
She sings a tune of English rum
When she rears up, hot and sweet
Like a big swamp snake
Peeled gold and russet pearls
She’s magical for the length of a dream
She’s ugly for the length of a life
I love to taste the water from her lips
When no words spill out
She’s beautiful and fills my heart
With plains and big blue birds
That tangle and scare me
When I hear their love-laden laughter
If you could die
I’d love you a hundred times worse
If you could
Fade away forever
I’d be hungry
I’d be thirsty
I’d be cold and hot
Like a little white breeze
Free, sad, and happy
And happy
They’re called the blind little goblins
They’re called the greedy merchants
They’re called the counts of my two
Their company is poison to me
They smile at me or trample me
They kiss me or shoot me down
They have ideas and words
That they drool over after a drink or two
They screw without asking
If they even deserve to stay
And pass on to their offspring
The way to be a fool
They’re honest, good, and kind
Searching for happiness at any cost
If it’s hiding in a fridge
They’ll buy a bigger one
If you could die
I’d love you a hundred times worse
If you could
Fade away forever
I’d be hungry
I’d be thirsty
I’d be cold and hot
Like a little white breeze
Free, sad, and happy
And happy
And then there’s me with sore eyes
With a heavy heart and aching lungs
And then there’s me, the mangy dog
Eating away in the depths of my prison
Me who smiles or who tramples
Me who kisses or shoots down
Me who has ideas and words
That I drool over after a drink or two
Me who loves too much, who hates myself
Me the big bird and the worm
Me the old man eaten by plague
And me the lonely kid
Me who spits on everything and nothing
Fleeing, searching for love, friends
Me who’s so scared of the big sigh
But who can’t even feel anymore
If you could die
I’d love you a hundred times worse
If you could
Fade away forever
I’d be hungry
I’d be thirsty
I’d be cold and hot
Like a little white breeze
Free, sad, and happy
And happy
