What He Sees.

by Louis B. Shalako

c2010

All Rights Reserved

The rain is falling, gently through the trees
A dove gives a mournful call
I wonder what he sees
Newborn child a-bawling?
Or just the futility of it all.
He told me once, a wise old owl
Very good advice, to get me through it all
The glass is either half-empty or half-full
It says a lot about you
The choices that you call.
The rain is falling, gently through the trees
A chipmunk sits there laughing
I wonder what he sees.

Velocita. The cyclist's mantra.

by Louis B. Shalako

c2010

All Rights Reserved


La mia bici e il mio corpo sono una cosa sola.

Velocita, forza et corragio.

My bike and my body are one.

Speed, force and courage.

My mind controls every muscle, cell, bone, fibre, and tissue.

The very fabric of my being.

Every nerve, every thought, every attitude, sense, and sinew.

Physical, mental, psychological, emotional.

My spirit cannot be conquered. I am alone with the road.

My bike and my body are one. Speed, force and courage.

L’essenza di velocita…

The essence of speed.

Yeah, but what are you really trying to say?

For want of a better term
by Louis B. Shalako
c2010
All Rights Reserved

To a blind man, the world is a dark place.
To a deaf man, the world is a silent place.
And so we can extrapolate –
That perception is reality.
And all of reality is filtered through the senses.
Everything we know is contained inside of our own heads.
And essentially, it exists nowhere else.
If a tree falls in the forest, it makes no sound. No sound.
For there is no one there to hear it —
Yet a million voices speak silently out of the darkness.
All of them whispering at once.
For want of a better term, we call that fantasy. Or a dream, or a delusion.
And the truth is what I believe it to be.
Attitude is everything. I guess it’s all in how you look at it.
The contradictions are easy to see.
But a mistaken assumption will kill you every time.
The important thing, in my opinion,
Is to keep your eyes and ears open;
Stay alert, open up your heart,
Take a deep breath…and empty your thoughts —
Now try to keep an open mind.
And if you speak my name upon the wind, surely I will hear you.

Guitar Practice II. Other Riffs.

Untitled.

The Egg.

by Louis B. Shalako

c2010

All Rights Reserved


One tiny little egg is deposited

Along with a thousand fellows

And it is hidden,

Amongst russet, green, yellow

Many a day must pass

Before the first one cracks

But soon they all must go

Feed they then on grasses

Tender shoots of plants

Some of the young get eaten

And there are those

Before the second dawn are froze

It is a deadly dance

One by one they leave then

Each must follow it’s own uncertain path

One weaves a silken cocoon

And enters chrysalis

He won’t come out too soon—

Until he’s done with this

And so the weeks they pass

The appointed time now comes

The transformation’s done

He crawls out into the light

Out into the warm summer sun

He dries his new-grown wings

And he sees

With golden antennae unfurled

Tasting the currents of the breeze

Becomes aware of the larger world

Now he gives a special call

His mate he hopes to bring

Three days he has, no less and no more

He arises on the wind

Time is short.

It is time to soar.

Wronged.

I know I done wrong
I know I was stupid
I can’t explain it
I was hoping that you could
Why did I leave you?
All those long years ago
How could I hurt you?
Someone must know
I know I done wrong
I know I was stupid
I can’t explain it
I was hoping that you could
Always so full of anger and rage
No one really likes me anymore
Someone must help me—I want to turn the page
Help me rip open the bars of my cage
I know I was a silly fool
But then the darkness took over
Why did I leave you?
All those long years ago
I can’t explain it, but someone must know
How long will it last?
How long will it take, to bury the past?
I know I done wrong
I know I was stupid
I can’t explain it
I was hoping that you could.

The Lord's Prayer, re-dubbed and re-mixed.

by Louis B. Shalako

c2010

All Rights Reserved

(Let’s see you rap this one off you mo’fo’s!)

Our Father
Who art in heaven
I met him
At the Seven-Eleven
Hallowed
Be Thy name
He was playing
A video game
Thy Kingdom come
Thy will be done
Always a loser,
Never havin' no fun
On Earth
As it is in heaven
Thank my stars and the lucky sevens
Give us this day
Our daily bread
Lord I can’t stop
This song in my head
And forgive us
Our trespasses
Sometimes
You even kick our asses
And lead us not
Into temptation
Saints preserve our super nation
The power and the glory
Forever and ever
No more, no less, and maybe never
In the name of the Father
And the Son, and the Holy Spirit
And my momma, and my girl,
And my sister, and my little baby brother
Deliver us from evil
In the name of all my brothers and sisters

Amen.

Halleluyah, my brothers and sisters. Halleluyah.

Amen. Amen.

Amen.