part of me laughed
and a part of me cried
on the night
that Cedar Isle died…
I thought of all
the friends I’d made there
and all the good times
gin and tonics with a lime
as the jukebox blared
Santeria by Sublime…
all the waitresses
I took home and satisfied
the million Cheddar Fry baskets
I fried
with Chinese eyes and a smile
most Friday and Saturday nights
high in the kitchen
black tar shot got
Chef Jeff itching
the tickets just a pouring in
the customers a bitching
Miss Kitty behind the bar twitching
while Old Ted’s sitting sipping
Glenlivet
or Glenfiddich
or Dewar’s
with a splash of water
if you can dig it
sipping whiskey
a drinking wine…
and it’s the end
of Cedar Isle as we know it
(and I feel fine)
but then I think
of all we lost and found
it gets me down
and the loose women around
the dirty old men of the town
probably thought
it would never end
but it did…
it was a four-alarm fire
around 1 AM
that finally did
Cedar Isle in…
the patrons
had all gone home
for the night
and the bar stools
had all been pushed in
the tables were all
wiped down with care
and all the lights
had been dimmed
when an electrical problem
with a heater in the roof
said poof!
and did begin…
the end of days
for the Cedar Isle crazed
were amazed
the Christmas Eve blaze
erupted this foggy ferocious haze
that could be seen clear
across Cedar Creek Lake
as all the local fire departments came
and courageously fought that fatal blaze
that would consume our legendary
landmark of sin…
for the fire would destroy
all of the contents
within…
but all the sweet memories
will live
in all of us
forever…
again and again.
