WHEN THE PARTY ENDED

WHEN THE PARTY ENDED
(FOR JANIS IAN)

Since truth is not the enemy, you take its dare and set it free.
A guitar hero short in stature, rich in artistry.

You changed my life when I was young, languishing in gym class.
I learned the truth at seventeen, like Alice through the looking glass.

I was a young man who loved other men, in a small and sheltered place
and you took my thoughts and laid them bare with a spirit full of grace.

From you to me the wisdom flowed, almost as heaven sent
as I licked my wounds alone in the winter of my discontent.

Before my time, you broke the mold
with a song of interracial love.

A pioneer at 14 years, brave and feisty even then.
A rare and wondrous wordsmith when you first picked up your pen.

I learned to write from the beauty of your words,
songs like The Bridge and Hopper Painting.

Iowa sunrise in Jenny’s eyes, your melodies breathtaking.

What I needed was a lot more you, and I saw you live
around ‘92.

It was the year you reemerged, the year your silence broke,
Your train still ran upon the track, folks listened when you spoke.

Never knew you were so funny or played such a mean guitar,
that you cared so much about your fans or had such a giving heart.

I’ve followed you all over, like an Olympic sport.
Saw you twice in just one week, drove six hours to Williamsport.

To learn that you were gay like me filled my heart with pride,
After all the years I’d walked alone, your music at my side.

Your songs gleamed like a talisman, and left a lasting mark,
whispering hope and courage when the world was cold and dark.

I was a Janis Ian freak, you touched me through and through,
and when the party ended, I fell in love with you.

-BRUCE POTTS
COPYRIGHT 2008
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED