peeny wally

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November 4, 2002

This world is not my home, I’m just a’passin’ through

Ever since I was in Kentucky, I’ve been singing old gospel songs (against my will) in my head. It doesn’t make much sense, because I didn’t really hear any music when I was there. The best I can figure out, it must just be burned into my memory in the space of my brain that occupies Kentucky thoughts. The radio at my grandparents’ house was always on in every memory I have of being there, and it was always tuned to WCBL (which, everyone should know, is the station where the funniest scene in “Coal Miner’s Daughter” takes place) and they play nothing but old-time country, old-time gospel and Swap Shop for the old-timers.

I heard a theory that says wherever your dreams take place is your home, but I don’t think that’s necessarily true. Maybe that’s because my dreams usually take place in Kentucky (if they’re anywhere that’s real at all), with bits and pieces of things and characters from all the other places I’ve lived, and I’m just not ready or willing to claim that as of yet.

I also heard that if you write down all the places you’ve ever lived and next to it, account for all the times your heart was broken while you lived there, you determine where you belong. Your city is the city that broke your heart the most. I couldn’t disagree with this more.

These are the thoughts that I woke up with, along with a gospel song in my head, this morning when I finally woke up at home, slowly and sweetly.

Posted by pogo at November 4, 2002 11:04 AM