Mary Jane

Mary Jane
Got married at 17
He was the loveliest man she’d ever seen
Till the day
6 months after the baby came and then
He became the man who inflicts pain
Mary Jane
Forgot her past and changed her name
She learned to sing the blues
Sewed-on sequels and high-heeled shoes
She took off her glasses and took the stage
The audience vanished in the haze
She bowed down, blew a kiss
Mary Jane
Was Little Abner’s Daisy Mae
A sweet Marlene
The geisha girl and Salome
A cowgirl too
She spun her pistols to the roof
A poor man’s Marilyn Monroe
He never came to sit in the front row
He never heard her sing
They live today
In a quiet suburb of Tampa Bay
He drives to the bank
Takes her out to eat at Burger King
She walks the dog
Keeps the radio on in every room
A silver wedding anniversary
The children play he’ll be the first to leave
She gave her life to the man who wanted just a wife
Mary Jane
Was Little Abner’s Daisy Mae
A sweet Marlene
The geisha girl and Salome
A cowgirl too
She spun her pistols to the roof