Poetry by Melodie Yvonne

Words from a gonzoesque life in an oh so gonzoless world

  • Old Town Shuffle

    Old Town Shuffle

    Originally published online Feb 18, 2021 & in the collection I Do Heroin On The Train Line So You Don’t Have To: A Hitchhiker’s Guide To My Galaxie — available here

    Old Town Shuffle by Melodie Yvonne

    Everything’s real quiet as we sit in the car
    We’re a little down the road, but not very far
    How long this’ll take really nobody knows
    Right now a pin drop’d make canyon echoes

    Then all of the sudden Ike jumps in the car screamin’
    “Drive! Motherfucking drive! It’s the motherfucking law!”
    “What the fuck?!?! I can’t go! What about Susie?!?!“
    “They done got her ass! Now we gotta move, babe!”

    We lurch on the road, headlights slicin’ the dark
    I point the car north, gonna slide by our mark
    It’s 20 and windin’ on 7 through old town
    I slink through real slow tryin’ to see what the fuck’s down

    I snake ‘round the curve, red and blue lights the sky
    I’m paranoid as fuck ‘cause I’m guilty and high
    Just a matter of time ‘fore those pigs come and get me
    ‘Cause I’m that dumb bitches number one enemy

    But wouldn’t you know, I got me some luck
    I guess it’s a good thing that whore likes to suck
    She’s been spreading those beef curtains all around town
    And I guess there’s a line to take that dumb bitch down

    So I done got there late and didn’t take a number
    And I mighta set fire to that skanky ass dumpster
    But even the cops thought that bitch was pathetic
    And everyone ‘round town was taken the credit

    Well, what could I do besides let ‘em all have it?
    I been there and done that, survival takes practice
    And the only thing better than gettin’ revenge
    Is stayin’ squeaky fuckin’ clean in the end

    ♥♥♥

    Get your copy of select poetry collections by Melodie: Photographic Melodie Book Shop
    Read more poetry by Melodie: Photographic Melodie’s Poetry & Spoken Word
    Watch more poetry videos: Melodie’s Poetry & Lyrics YouTube Playlist

    ♥♥♥

    Copyright notice:
    All content on this site (music, words, photos, videos) is copyright Melodie Yvonne. Non-profit online sharing is allowed only if content is unaltered and credit is given. Commercial use or unauthorized alteration is prohibited. Questions? Contact Melodie HERE

  • Just Another Night aka Hey! I Hung Out With You At That House On State Street

    Just Another Night aka Hey! I Hung Out With You At That House On State Street

    Originally published online Feb 18, 2021 & in the collection I Do Heroin On The Train Line So You Don’t Have To: A Hitchhiker’s Guide To My Galaxie — available here

    ⚠️ Explicit Content Warning
    This poetry excerpt from I Do Heroin On The Train Line So You Don’t Have To contains serious subject matter relating to drugs and sexual assault

    Just Another Night aka Hey! I Hung Out With You At That House On State Street by Melodie Yvonne

    I’m the only one that’s sober once again tonight
    I just want a bit of quiet, not another fight
    ‘Cause all this shit just gets real old every fucking day
    I’d take my baby girl and leave, but ‘cause of her I’m stayin’

    I’m tryin’ to whitewash all the bullshit stained onto these walls
    If I don’t hold my shit together we’re all gonna fall
    But everywhere I go it seems I’m just a piece of meat
    Don’t wanna stay, but got no place to go if I could even leave

    It’s just another night of takin’ care of drunks I guess
    It’s just another night that my whole life‘s a fucking mess
    It’s just another night that some dude knocks me to the floor
    While everybody in the room just watches and giggles for more

    “Teddy, you don’t wanna do this. ‘Member I’m your friend.“
    I know I gotta stay calm, but this fucker’s got me pinned
    “Teddy, please don’t do this, buddy, please just let me go.”
    Fuck, I know I gotta stay calm, but this shit is gettin’ old

    I’m beggin’ and I’m pleadin’ and I’m tryin’ to talk him down
    But he just says he loves me as he grinds into the ground
    The laughin‘s gettin’ louder and it echoes all around
    Why the fuck is no one helpin’ me? I try to block the sounds

    “Teddy, please don’t do this, buddy, please just let me go.“
    He’s really not a bad guy, but that vodka’s got his soul
    “Teddy, please, you’re scaring me.” Fuck, now I’m gonna cry
    Oh wait! That tears got his attention there’s some life back in his eyes

    He shakes his head and slowly blinks and then he blinks again
    Oh good! I think he’s comin’ to, I think this bullshit’s gonna end
    He loosens up his grip and finally, slowly sets me free
    I get up, dust myself back off, and then I start to clean

    I really just don’t wanna stay, but don’t know how to leave
    I put the table back, pick up the glass, and mend a sleeve
    It’s just another night that my whole life’s a fucking mess
    But you’re not supposed to walk away from family I guess

    ♥♥♥

    Get your copy of select poetry collections by Melodie: Photographic Melodie Book Shop
    Read more poetry by Melodie: Photographic Melodie’s Poetry & Spoken Word
    Watch more poetry videos: Melodie’s Poetry & Lyrics YouTube Playlist

    ♥♥♥

    Copyright notice:
    All content on this site (music, words, photos, videos) is copyright Melodie Yvonne. Non-profit online sharing is allowed only if content is unaltered and credit is given. Commercial use or unauthorized alteration is prohibited. Questions? Contact Melodie HERE

  • The Ballad of Hayden Pike

    The Ballad of Hayden Pike

    Originally published online Feb 12, 2021 & in the collection I Do Heroin On The Train Line So You Don’t Have To: A Hitchhiker’s Guide To My Galaxie — available here

    ⚠️ Explicit Content Warning
    This poetry excerpt from I Do Heroin On The Train Line So You Don’t Have To contains material relating to drugs and gun violence

    The Ballad of Hayden Pike by Melodie Yvonne

    Just got a new house, but we’re playing pretend
    Somehow we don’t know it, don’t know it’ll end
    But Merlin’s been supplyin’ to our southern kin
    And I told them to not let those fucking people in

    It’s just been 3 months, but the walls bleed our sins
    It’s suckin’ our souls like we’re stuck in quicksand
    But somehow this shit storm’s about to get worse
    We’ve been teasin’ the devil and he’s ‘bout to quench his thirst

    Broke glass rips the night like a banshee in heat
    Didn’t think a shotgun & my face’d ever meet
    “Get down on the ground!“ cuts through me like a knife
    Didn’t think I would die on a night like tonight

    I shut my eyes super tight ‘til there’s nothin’ but dark
    Now I’m prayin’ somehow that this gun play don’t start
    Just prayin’ and prayin’ they’ll at least end it easy
    Just kill me real quick, but at least save the baby

    They duct tape us real tight so we won’t get away
    Because I’m “with child” they give me some sway
    But somethin’ about that tone in his voice
    Told me real fuckin’ quick he wasn’t just bein’ nice

    “The drugs and the money is what we are after!”
    I said “I got money,” but they answered with laughter
    “Gerald Lee, go on & look in the freezer,”
    “We won’t hurt you, lil lady. We’re their fuckin’ reapers.”

    Then just like that as quick as it started
    A few empty threats and then they departed
    And nothin’ was left in that after math of violence
    ‘Cept the ripping of duct tape through deafening silence

    It really is true, those goblins’ll get ya
    If you keep on smitin’ the hand that begets you
    You wait & you watch & you look for the signs
    But we don’t really want ‘em when we’re toin’ the line

    All we can feel is the jones of an addict
    We barely got out, but we just need some practice
    “Next time we’ll be ready, and draw our guns first,”
    “No more fuckin’ around. They’ll go home in a hearse…”

    ♥♥♥

    Get your copy of select poetry collections by Melodie: Photographic Melodie Book Shop
    Read more poetry by Melodie: Photographic Melodie’s Poetry & Spoken Word
    Watch more poetry videos: Melodie’s Poetry & Lyrics YouTube Playlist

    ♥♥♥

    Copyright notice:
    All content on this site (music, words, photos, videos) is copyright Melodie Yvonne. Non-profit online sharing is allowed only if content is unaltered and credit is given. Commercial use or unauthorized alteration is prohibited. Questions? Contact Melodie HERE

  • A Reprieve

    A Reprieve

    Originally published online Feb 12, 2021 & in the collection I Do Heroin On The Train Line So You Don’t Have To: A Hitchhiker’s Guide To My Galaxie — available here

    A Reprieve by Melodie Yvonne

    Time for us to take another little trip down south
    We gotta take a trip to get to trip
    We’re making damn good time and we should get there ‘fore we’re down
    There’s something freein’ ‘bout this big long stretch

    Lucy ‘s ridin’ shotgun and it’s getting kinda late
    But I’m pretty sure we’ll get there for the morn’
    We done crossed the border and we’re almost to Mobile
    But this time we’re not stoppin’ ‘til the Shores

    The air is cool, but warm enough to take the T-tops out
    The Gulf fog’s swallowin’ up the road ahead
    Nights like these are pretty fuckin’ rare anymore
    The nights that I forget I’m almost dead

    I slide my hand just out the window tryin’ to touch the clouds
    My fingertips are surfin’ on the breeze
    The Pixies slidin’ in my ear have got me feelin’ fine
    Their Wave of Mutilation sets me free

    I could live here just like this for every second left
    Bubble up this moment and be done
    Pump the Volume on the sound and leave the world behind
    Until my shadows and my light are one

    I could live here just like this and never a regret
    Never think about the things I lost
    I could live here just like this and leave the world behind
    Just me and Lucy and this Gulf Shores fog

    ♥♥♥

    Get your copy of select poetry collections by Melodie: Photographic Melodie Book Shop
    Read more poetry by Melodie: Photographic Melodie’s Poetry & Spoken Word
    Watch more poetry videos: Melodie’s Poetry & Lyrics YouTube Playlist

    ♥♥♥

    Copyright notice:
    All content on this site (music, words, photos, videos) is copyright Melodie Yvonne. Non-profit online sharing is allowed only if content is unaltered and credit is given. Commercial use or unauthorized alteration is prohibited. Questions? Contact Melodie HERE

  • The Lion’s Den Sprint

    The Lion’s Den Sprint

    Originally published online Dec 10, 2020 & in the collection I Do Heroin On The Train Line So You Don’t Have To: A Hitchhiker’s Guide To My Galaxie — available here

    The Lion’s Den Sprint by Melodie Yvonne

    80 down a back road way out in BFE
    We’re goin’ awful fast for never gonna leave
    The headlights stab the black air as we travel down the road
    Tryin’ to make it to the highway ‘fore the soberness takes hold

    The pigs are stakin’ out the sides, but we’re one step ahead
    ‘Cause we don’t wanna go to jail, but don’t care if we’re dead
    Tree skeletons engulf us as they fly by dirty windows
    This ole back road’s full of evil, but there’s always room for more ghosts

    Ole Smoky’s gainin’ on us, but our luck’s still holding out
    Like the government holds water when the nations in a drought
    Just a few more hills and hairpin turns are comin’ up ahead
    And that pig might still be gainin’, but we don’t care if we’re dead

    The road might curve before us, but our speed straightens it out
    And we’ve lost that fucking porker for a second of his doubt
    We lock it up and slide into a driveway on the right
    Kill the car and hunker down and watch that fuckin’ pig fly by

    We slither back on 250 fixin’ to ramble on
    We’re pretty sure the coast is clear, but don’t care if he’s gone
    ‘Cause we still got that mission waitin’ for us up ahead…
    We’re both almost fucking sober and we’d both rather be dead

    ♥♥♥

    Get your copy of select poetry collections by Melodie: Photographic Melodie Book Shop
    Read more poetry by Melodie: Photographic Melodie’s Poetry & Spoken Word
    Watch more poetry videos: Melodie’s Poetry & Lyrics YouTube Playlist

    ♥♥♥

    Copyright notice:
    All content on this site (music, words, photos, videos) is copyright Melodie Yvonne. Non-profit online sharing is allowed only if content is unaltered and credit is given. Commercial use or unauthorized alteration is prohibited. Questions? Contact Melodie HERE

  • Chestnut and 4th

    Chestnut and 4th

    Originally published online Feb 5, 2021 & in the collection I Do Heroin On The Train Line So You Don’t Have To: A Hitchhiker’s Guide To My Galaxie — available here

    Chestnut and 4th by Melodie Yvonne

    Down deep in this shady motel on the corner of Chestnut and 4th
    The walls move 24 hours a day and nobody there’s seen the Lord

    A counterfeit tabula rasa in a town known for bein’ just small
    But the only thing further away from the truth is how far the cops are from the law

    In the streets the meth whores and their “Daddies” slither ‘round sniffin’ for tricks
    And there’s no fucking discrimination, no fucking such thing as “just kids”

    The days just keep on gettin’ longer and the cold winter nights scurry close
    And all of the residents trapped in that place are runnin’ away from their ghosts

    And the smell of the aged rotting flesh that piles up so deep in their closets
    Brings them together and keeps them from leavin’ like pheromones sprayed ‘round in a brothel

    Yet somehow there’s always a room left, that vacancy sign’s always on
    And it calls out to lost souls all over the world that get trapped in its wide open arms

    That comforting glow of the street lights that makes you feel 16 and free
    Just like Stockholm Syndrome can make you feel love the Chestnut can make you love to bleed

    And me, I’m not really no different, wanderin’ in off the streets
    A part of me’s still right on back there and don’t know if I wanna leave

    From that little old sleazy motel room on the corner of Chestnut and 4th
    Where the walls move 24 hours a day and no one can save you but the Lord

    I left all my innocence back there, on the corner of Chestnut and 4th
    I just can’t remember what my life was like before I walked right through that door

    Before I stepped into that cold room, on the corner of Chestnut and 4th
    Where the walls move 24 hours a day, but you’ll never move there no more.

    ♥♥♥

    Get your copy of select poetry collections by Melodie: Photographic Melodie Book Shop
    Read more poetry by Melodie: Photographic Melodie’s Poetry & Spoken Word
    Watch more poetry videos: Melodie’s Poetry & Lyrics YouTube Playlist

    ♥♥♥

    Copyright notice:
    All content on this site (music, words, photos, videos) is copyright Melodie Yvonne. Non-profit online sharing is allowed only if content is unaltered and credit is given. Commercial use or unauthorized alteration is prohibited. Questions? Contact Melodie HERE

  • Tri-County Neighborhood

    Tri-County Neighborhood

    Originally published online Nov 24, 2020 & in the collection I Do Heroin On The Train Line So You Don’t Have To: A Hitchhiker’s Guide To My Galaxie — available here

    Tri-County Neighborhood by Melodie Yvonne

    Drive town to town lookin’ for food to calm the drugs down in our stomachs
    We take what we get in this Tri-County hole, beg, borrow, or steal, and they love it
    ‘Cause when we get our kicks, they get theirs too, though, they act like they’re all up above it
    They all sling their shit at us so fucking much that we look like we all been out muddin’

    But what can I say? We woller in it. Writhe around in the shit on our bellies
    It’s easier to slither through these sleazy streets, got a better idea you can tell me
    But I’m here to tell you it’s beat ‘em or join ‘em, so you better be fucking good
    ‘Cause you won’t walk away, nobody leaves this fucking Tri-County neighborhood

    ♥♥♥

    Get your copy of select poetry collections by Melodie: Photographic Melodie Book Shop
    Read more poetry by Melodie: Photographic Melodie’s Poetry & Spoken Word
    Watch more poetry videos: Melodie’s Poetry & Lyrics YouTube Playlist

    ♥♥♥

    Copyright notice:
    All content on this site (music, words, photos, videos) is copyright Melodie Yvonne. Non-profit online sharing is allowed only if content is unaltered and credit is given. Commercial use or unauthorized alteration is prohibited. Questions? Contact Melodie HERE

  • Just Driving

    Just Driving

    The 2nd piece in the collection I Do Heroin On The Train Line So You Don’t Have To: A Hitchhiker’s Guide To My Galaxie — available here

    Just Driving by Melodie Yvonne

    Not sure where the fuck to go, not sure what to do
    You find the hard way freedom’s got a price
    I don’t know if I’ll ever find a place to call my own
    Just hopin’ for somewhere to call tonight

    Everything I fucking own is ridin’ in the back
    Ain’t got no time to stop and rest my head
    It’s gettin’ really cold and dark way out in BFE
    If you stop in the wrong spot you’ll end up dead

    Not sure where the fuck I’ll sleep, not sure where I’ll live
    Not sure if I wanna live this way
    Right now I just got a think of what the fuck to do, though
    So I can keep my ass alive today

    ♥♥♥

    Grab your copy of I Do Heroin On The Train Line So You Don’t Have To: A Hitchhiker’s Guide To My Galaxie HERE
    Get your copy of other select poetry collections by Melodie: Photographic Melodie Book Shop
    Read more poetry by Melodie: Photographic Melodie’s Poetry & Spoken Word
    Watch more poetry videos: Melodie’s Poetry & Lyrics YouTube Playlist

    ♥♥♥

    Copyright notice:
    All content on this site (music, words, photos, videos) is copyright Melodie Yvonne. Non-profit online sharing is allowed only if content is unaltered and credit is given. Commercial use or unauthorized alteration is prohibited. Questions? Contact Melodie HERE

  • Run Away Home

    Run Away Home

    Originally written for Creative Writing at JCHS in October 1993 & the first piece in the print collection I Do Heroin On The Train Line So You Don’t Have To: A Hitchhiker’s Guide To My Galaxie — available here

    Run Away Home by Melodie Yvonne

    I feel so trapped. My small light floods the entire room with brightness. There are no sounds except that humming of the dryer downstairs. I get up. I know it’s time for me to go. As I walk I feel my mind lighten. I take one last look in the mirror. I look different, not myself.

    I pick up my things. Though they are heavy, they feel light compared to the weight on my heart. I walk down the long dark hallway, and I don’t look back. So many things are happening at once. I approach the stairs, and steadily walk down with a bag in each hand. Everything is still quiet. I walk down the stairs, and turn into yet another dark hallway, but this time I feel a chill. I know I may never be back.

    I stop to take my clothing from the warm dryer. I put them in my bag. As I approach the door I know I can’t come back once I walk out. I go through the door, and the cold wind bites through my skin. I smell smoke in the air from a fire long since perished. I walk to a car and get in. I turn the key. I feel a loss, but at the same time a great gain… Freedom.

    Finally, I turn on the headlights. They pierce the dark like a sword. These are the lights I will always follow because these are the ones that truly take me home.

    Audio only:

    ♥♥♥

    Get your copy of select poetry collections by Melodie: Photographic Melodie Book Shop
    Read more poetry by Melodie: Photographic Melodie’s Poetry & Spoken Word
    Watch more poetry videos: Melodie’s Poetry & Lyrics YouTube Playlist

    ♥♥♥

    Copyright notice:
    All content on this site (music, words, photos, videos) is copyright Melodie Yvonne. Non-profit online sharing is allowed only if content is unaltered and credit is given. Commercial use or unauthorized alteration is prohibited. Questions? Contact Melodie HERE

  • The Honeymoon Is Definitely Over

    The Honeymoon Is Definitely Over

    Originally published online Feb 2, 2021 & in the collection Photographic Memories: 7even — available here

    The Honeymoon Is Definitely Over by Melodie Yvonne

    Sittin’ here waitin’ and wonderin’ what’s next
    I’m tryin’ to stay clean, but my life’s still a mess
    I feel like I’m stuck, super glued into place
    I look in the mirror and don’t know my own face

    I’m running in circles and just standing still
    I’m so fuckin’ tired ‘cause this shit’s all uphill
    I’m keepin’ it simple and tryin’ to stay sober
    But this fucking honeymoon’s definitely over

    I’m lookin’ for you, but closin’ my eyes
    I’m so fucking scared that I just wanna hide
    I need somethin’ stable, but need somethin’ caustic
    I’m sick of this ride and I wanna get off it

    I’m needin’ some balance lookin’ for my medium
    There’s gotta be somethin’ better than this tedium
    Wanna be warm, but not set me on fire
    I wanna be high, but don’t need to get higher

    I’m running in circles and just standing still
    I’m so fuckin’ tired ‘cause this shit’s all uphill
    I’m keepin’ it simple and tryin’ to stay sober
    But this fucking honeymoon’s definitely over

    I just wanna run and not ever look back
    I don’t fuckin’ know what keeps holding me back
    Maybe I’m scared or maybe I’m just tired
    Or maybe I do need to light me on fire

    Maybe I need to just blow up my world
    Put a bomb in my dumpster and let it explode
    But everyone knows that the danger’s the shrapnel
    That spews out & slices up happily ever after

    I’m running in circles and just standing still
    I’m so fuckin’ tired ‘cause this shit’s all uphill
    I’m keepin’ it simple and tryin’ to stay sober
    But this fucking honeymoon’s definitely over

    Yeah, this fucking honeymoon’s definitely over

    ♥♥♥

    Get your copy of select poetry collections by Melodie: Photographic Melodie Book Shop
    Read more poetry by Melodie: Photographic Melodie’s Poetry & Spoken Word
    Watch more poetry videos: Melodie’s Poetry & Lyrics YouTube Playlist

    ♥♥♥

    Copyright notice:
    All content on this site (music, words, photos, videos) is copyright Melodie Yvonne. Non-profit online sharing is allowed only if content is unaltered and credit is given. Commercial use or unauthorized alteration is prohibited. Questions? Contact Melodie HERE