The Godz of Earth

Didn’t rightly care what.

I let the windz be my guide.

Didn’t matter where I went, didn’t matter who I wuz or wuznt with, didn’t matter if I wuz drunk or sober, the dreamz kept comin.

Sometimes the dreamz came when I wuz awake.

When I got to runnin, I didn’t quit. I wuz runnin mostly from myself.

I’d pull a job then lay low. This wuz my life fer a long time.

I just didn’t care.

Done a job and got holed up somewherez without a ride.

A long walk through dry country got me bushwacked and dumped in New York City.

I figgered it wuz time fer ole Zeb.

Fer the most part them northernerz didn’t take to my country preachin. I wuz about to call it quitz.

I wuz walkin out of a dandy of a church when a woman latched on to me. "Reverend, you must tell my women’s group more of your wonderful visions."

She looked rich.

The ladiez were titterin around tea and cookies, all aflutter, waitin to hear about the gloriez of heaven.

I raised my tattered bible and fixed my hellfire gaze on them.

They fell silent in holy terror.

"Sisterz! I have seen heaven! And I have seen hell!"

They were eatin out of my hand.

I’d get to wailin and thunderin and moanin about heaven and hell and they’d come a runnin. Word spread like wildfire.

I wuz a rich man.

Bout the time you get money people start eyein ya. It wuz time fer me to move on. I told the followerz I wuz goin on a mission.

The rich lady hugged me tight. I pulled her back and dryed the tearz from her blue eyez. "Sister, someday we'll meet up yonder in the land that knows no partin."

I wuz sittin in this ole park in my travelin cloze. I looked like somethin the cat drug in. Didn't have nothin to do, nothin I wanted to do.

Seemz like there wuz a church picnic goin on. I could see the mommas shooin their kidz away from me. A pretty thing came up to me with a basket, "Would you care to share this picnic with me, sir?"

She set down and shared out her food with me. I told her some travelin storiez and she told me how some day she wuz goin to marry a preacher. Her brown eyez glowed.

To this day I remember, she wore blue velvet.

Couldn’t get them brown eyez outta my head.

Got to thinkin on settlin down.

I got ole Zeb all cleaned up and sent him on over to her house with a mess of flowerz.

When I convinced her it wuz me she threw her armz around me and kissed me. "I could love you, perhaps I already do, but my father would not approve."

One good thing came outta it, the dreamz went away.

Dreamless wanderin.

Samelessness day and night.

Looked like it wuz time to find another war.

Came across a war in jungle country. Suited me fine until I got captured.

When they figgered I didn’t have nothin to tell they stopped beatin me and put me to work.

When I wuz too broke down to work anymore they left me in the jungle to die.

I wuz in the light place agin. I hollered out, "I’m gettin sick of yer game!"

The next thing, I wuz in the dark place agin. I hollered out the same thing.

Now I wuz in a place that wuz neither light nor dark.

I woke up in a village by the sea. I stayed there a good long time.

Night and day the dreamz came.

I wuz sick of it.

I spose wanderin is the one thing I do best and I did a mess of it.