Hard Rain

For Bob Dylan

How are you friend? Are you alright?

How will that change from now ‘til tonight?

I’m feeling all right, but that’s not all I’m feeling

While my mind is recovering, my heart is still bleeding

I’m stressed and I’m pissed but I’ll tell you I’m fine

Because in the long run my sorrow isn’t worth our time

I hate Trumping others, but like lying less

Crimes are worse with malicious intent.

I rise with the sun, but it burns me out

‘Til it rises again, and I’m already worn out

And there’s hope, there’s hope, there’s hope, there’s hope, there’s hope but not much longer.

What’s wrong with you, friend? Are you alright?

How will that change from now ‘til tonight?

Nothing’s wrong with me but nothing seems right

And a whole lot will change from now ‘til tonight.

I’ve seen some like Spider-Man and some more like Gregor

Yet it doesn’t even seem that I could be either

It’s impossible to feel significant it seems

When the conflicts of our age can be expressed with memes

When you hear complaining, I hear hearts screaming

And I’ve been through my fair share of troubles and bleeding

But what just isn’t fair is how my wounds boil

When the people around me keep severing souls.

And there’s hope, there’s hope, there’s hope, there’s hope, there’s hope but not much longer.

Can I help? Do you need a bite?

How will that change from now ‘til tonight?

You can’t help me now, when I need you you’ll have gone

And the timing of love is consistently wrong

And the reason we give is because we feel empty

And filling another will help via empathy

And if we could stop twerking and whipping and dabbing

And get back to the good natured, genuine, low-pressure sort of dancing

But we’re stopped and we’re halted by circuits and space

And tons of “To-dos” all over the place

You can help yourself by paying attention

Patience is now only awarded honorable mention.

And there’s hope, there’s hope, there’s hope, there’s hope, there’s hope but not much longer.

Pay attention? To what? What are the signs? Are there symptoms?

And how will that change from now ‘til tonight?

It’s not something you can read in a manual

But the effort to help is a flower, perennial

Just like Ebola seemed to be defeated

Zika came back to remind us all that in thinking we’d won, we’d retreated.

Look for the candles, shining exposed

As soon as the wind touches them they do what they’re supposed

So reach out and love before you go out in smoke

Before you can’t help the poor in spirit because you’re also broke.

And there’s hope, there’s hope, there’s hope, there’s hope, there’s hope but not much longer.