The following poem was written upon the death of Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia. It was published in the anthology Not Fade Away: The Online World Remembers Jerry Garcia, compiled and edited by David Gans, page 57.

Drums and Space

In Memoriam: Jerry Garcia

Now he's gone
And gone too the blessing of his presence
Gone the plain spontaneity
Gone the delicate elegance
Gone the lunatic doodlings
Gone the miraculous bastions
Gone the manic placid dance
Gone the mystical candor
Gone the transcendental intensity
Gone the naughty raucous chaos
Gone the haunting lostness
Gone the heady impressions
Gone the festive message
Gone the trippy sinful gist
Gone the grumpy uncle
Gone the happy rabbi
Gone the moody buddha
Gone the sly smiling santa
Gone the complex knowledge
Gone the all things possible
Gone the honest promise
Gone the future evolutions
Gone the future forever
Gone
Gone with pallid finality
He's gone and nothing's going to bring him back
No nothing's left but drums and space
Our sadness and our gratitude at last

But if the purpose of the journey
Is the journey to a purpose
The inevitable end of everything
Then go Jerry

Go off to your next destiny
Go away engaged in the great translation
Go take your place on the playground
Go find all your old friends
Go spawn the long forgotten
Go spread the best epic yet
Go track the everlasting vastness
Go watch it all happen
Go to it
Go be who you are
(Like you always taught us
Like the essence of your lesson ever:
Be who you are)
Yes go be who you are
The rehearsal is over
Go jam a stratospheric passage
Go blow the most heroic solos
Until nothing's left but drums and space

Shred the heavens man
We'll be listening for you

--Barry Smolin
   August 9, 1995

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copyright 1995 by Barry Smolin

email: shmo@well.com

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