When Dry Bones Walk Poem by Day Williams

Izzy's in the front seat, he says to us a child is born
Jerry's in the back seat and oh he looks forlorn
Jonah swam with a whale and his face is green
And Micah wears a mask during the quarantine

Zeke will tell you how to breathe life into bones
Ask him now, he's on a subway car alone
Joab on his cycle crashed on Highway 61
His accountant called it a cost overrun

Joel warned you that locusts would come
Stop what you're doing and don't act dumb
Good neighbors decide to rebuild a fence
Take what you can gather from common sense

And you know full well who you are,
don't you,
Dr. Frankenstein?
For the work you do
May you drink sparkling wine.

Do what you want, do as you wish
You can't make life in a petri dish
Dry bones will walk, you can't do it yourself
You gotta turn to God and ask for help

You bluff and you blow, caught in undertow
You won't call it human, that embryo
Sperm meets an egg, and a life begins,
Or two lives, if it's twins.

Feed the monkey, feed the horse, feed the cat,
And trace the arc of the acrobat
Who will you call when you stare death in the face?
Ulysses, Dante, or that cowboy with an ace?

And you know full well who you are,
don't you,
Dr. Frankenstein?
For the work you do
May you drink sparkling wine.


An AR-15 won't save your soul
What do you care? You want control
You're ever the genius, the golden boy,
Getting to know you, like the siege of Troy

Writing won't save you, neither will song,
Discern the diff betwixt right and wrong.
The Light of the World stands on the lake shore
Kneel to him before another Six Day War

Don't lie or cheat or steal
The flesh is false, the Spirit, real
You paint yourself in corners
And escape like Jason Bourne

And you know full well who you are,
don't you,
Dr. Frankenstein?
For the work you do
May you drink sparkling wine.

The Polar Express won't take you anywhere
You lost your way in the afternoon glare
Do what you can to look debonair
Send your cards to billionaires

I'll fight for you near and far
Across the Rubicon, against a czar
So long as you stop trading those slaves
And gathering body parts from graves

You can keep your ventilator
Take your time, arrest the traitors
The moon is innocent, the sun is clean
Slap the head of your tambourine

And you know full well who you are,
don't you,
Dr. Frankenstein?
For the work you do
May you drink sparkling wine.

Go to court in a mask, get the relief you ask
Don't shame the day when you perform your task,
Their new bogeyman will spoil what he can
When he has run his course, they'll throw him off the force.

David plays guitar in the palace hall
Nathan comes in to start a brawl
He calls out the king, his words sharp as spears
David can't take it, he closes his ears

Your hair is gray, you're no Peter Pan
No Lazarus-Assemblyman
Moses at 80 led his people out
Keep going, said the talent scout

And you know full well who you are,
don't you,
Dr. Frankenstein?
For the work you do
May you drink sparkling wine.

You say you'll do it all on your own
You won't admit you feel so alone
Turn back to Him who lifts the poor from the dust
The Spirit comes when He's the man you trust

Write folk songs for stars, rap in the bars,
Ride in boxcars, write your memoirs
Adam and Eve took a moonlight drive
I checked my watch, they've yet to arrive

And you know full well who you are,
don't you,
Dr. Frankenstein?
For the work you do
May you drink sparkling wine.

Cain took Abel for a walk around the block
Only Cain returned with his tomahawk
Joseph went to jail, falsely accused
Kept his faith, though much abused.

Philistines rioted on city streets
They said they wanted better seats
They pulled down statues of horseback guys
And asked for handouts along with their fries

The telepathic poet comes to your command
Like a fool he loves the law of the land
While brainwashed masses burn down the stores
Where their fathers bought them toy dinosaurs

And you know full well who you are,
don't you,
Dr. Frankenstein?
For the work you do
May you drink sparkling wine.

Man isn't God, try as he might
He hides in shadows from the light
I'll say a prayer and cut a hole in the sky
To pull you back to Light before you die

The horses and riders vanish in the sea
And the ragged renegades realize they're free
The King of the Jews was crucified for you
Take Him or leave Him, His love is true

~Day Williams