Poet of the Month

Michael Ubaldini

Michael Ubaldini is an independent roots-rock singer-songwriter who makes his home in Fountain Valley, California. A winner of OC Music Awards who has been acclaimed by the Los Angeles Times, Orange County Register and music magazines in both the United States and England, he has performed for more than three decades both solo and with bands. Among his best-known compositions are "Jean Harlow," "Ave. of 10 Cent Hearts," "(Lifetime of) Bar Band Dues" and "The Unfaithful Wife." Lost American Nights: Lyrics & Poems, a volume of his selected works, was the first release from Moon Tide Press in March 2006, and a second, greatly expanded edition was released in February 2012. The selections below are poems that open two of the many chapters of the book.

Stood at the Bus Stop in the Cold Wind

The beat of America is
Dead as we know it,
As the rhythm of one foot
Steps after another
Into an immortal oblivion of tranquility and lost dreams,
     Forgotten
And left with no way home.

---

Street Singin' Troubadour Blues Way Over Yonder in 'The End Times'

I better capture the words right now
Before enchantment disappears
The eyes of honesty wept
Invoking love with fear.

Taste the shadows and the pain deep
In this whiskey flask,
Her arms hold me strong with truth,
Or does the rabbit don the mask.

We're warm within a shack beyond the cold
A flickering shack
With eyes burning through like coal
Four walls surround us
Created by a mind scheme –

Our love explodes like stars
In the night ocean stream

The lights burn the dark on all highways
The rivers flow where
Darkness makes love with the sun

Though I'm alone
Standing gazing toward the river's cape
Wondering if my openness will leave a wound where
My heart's at stake.

My collar's up
I hang my head and stroll along
I'm in search for salvation,
She's my lover, and if childhood dreams aren't but a whim,
I jump in –
Head first and drown before I'd swim.