Johnny Ray Poem by Dan Ochs

Dedicated to a few of my lost friends....

“Old Johnny Ray is so quiet, ” they'd say
A smile masking his pain as he went through his day
Even though he carried anger, only kind words he would say
Going home to his bed, feeling too much as he lay

Till one day is his room
The pain was too much to bear
A brief note let his sorrows be known
He picked his best outfit to wear

He grabbed the belt from his bed
Pulled his head through the loop
As he breathed his last breath
He jumped off of his stoop

How did this happen?
Did his parents not care?
Or was it his friends?
The ones who weren’t there

The classmates who ignored him
Only now will they cry
All the times he felt low
Now he’s hanging on high

The memorial is a spectacle
But has turned to a show
The news crews arrive
Speak of the friend they had known

But the ones who talk to the camera John wouldn’t recognize
Stage actors playing friends, are really acquaintances in disguise
The ones with true love are inside grieving in pain
While the phony friends get their fifteen minutes of fame

But he kept his alienation from turning to anger
The kids who passed judgment made him feel like a stranger
At least he went alone in his tormented peace
Not leaving mothers crying saying, “Where were the police? ”

Life is too short to talk in tongues made of knives
Maybe if you’re lucky you’ll have some kids and a wife
But for old Johnny Ray his life just lacked a little sympathy
He just needed a warm touch to unlock this life’s symphony

And to the ones we love most
We say it the least
As we climb into beds
Of our eternal sleep