He said
She examines the Nightingale’s Code…
Everything is returned that was owed…
That night
they made a path for me
I felt like royalty
There were four Shrickels there
glimpses of look-alikes
even the hair
Cold eyes glinting with murderous hate
Sullen in silence as they wait
for the nightingale to flee the room
Johanna, some muttered under their breath
Was this the final kiss of death?
The first seat was wrong and I was replaced
Farther up front, they said, so I raced
to a spot facing the piano
On the stage hung dummies in symphony dress
One stood out from all the rest
Dressed as he had been long ago
A standing bass player in a summer tux
Who else would know of that besides the two of us?
Had Dylan somehow gotten inside my. head?
Nonsense, I said
And yet, there was a tinge of dread
of this abyss, the unsaid
A powerful band
a polished show
hypnotic voice
eyes blue
ninety minutes flew
fast–paced back-to-back
songs somewhat alike
same rhythym
same pulse
can’t make out all the words
but that’s alright
The crowd was quiet
fingers tapping on knees
Didn’t come this far just to sit
so I slipped out of my seat
down the stairs
danced on the floor
next to strangers in a blissful state
You’ve Gotta Serve Somebody
last song of the main set
Odd
I said that to Shrickel long ago
He claimed he was saved
then seemed to forget
Serve God or Baal I pleaded with him
Choose today whom you will serve
Instead, he shape-shifted before my eyes
golden face rippling
held us captive, then left
all forever changed
Lights snapped on quickly
Some booed at the end
they wanted more
but
the magic was gone
Just an empty stage
with the dummies forlorn
I climbed up the stairs to the garage roof and saw
a black bus next to the tracks along the river
Cars inched their way down
lights everywhere
And then a gentle roar
He had come out the side door
I might have seen him closer
had I waited
After all this time we breathed the same air
This strange connection
was it still there?
In 1997 on a summer’s eve
I kissed the love of my life
in the dark, in a garage in Ann Arbor
that first night
when we finally met
Somehow it seemed right to remember that
Though he is no longer here with me
A sweet touch from the great beyond
I guess there’s something in Dylan for us all
Update July 19, 2021
A lot has happened since I wrote that poem. Dylan’s position in the Mozart Vortex has clarified, for one. He has unmasked himself as a part of Monostatos — the wicked servant in Sarastro’s Temple in the opera The Magic Flute, which has come alive.
Dylan’s paid, canned, online event, “Shadow Kingdom” appears to be receiving mixed reviews. Some are unhappy that it was so short; others, that the production is clumsy. And then, of course, there are a lot of masks.
But one thing stands out to me — the continuation of the “standing bass player” theme that I noticed from the 2019 concerts — which I tentatively connected to “Monostatos” from the Minnesota Orchestra — a standing bass player named Bill Schrickel. At this time it looks like Dylan obtained ‘inside’ information about me and my children from Bill, who happens to be my ex..along with some early drafts of my intellectual property. All that has made its way into some of Dylan’s “Key” songs (they either contain the word ‘key’, reference to a ‘key’, such as “Play the Moonlight Sonata in F sharp” or the word “nightingale”).
Looks like Nightingale could be a reference to me. If so, Dylan has used this info to allow his insiders know how to attempt track me down and cause trouble. I have run into a few of them over the years — nowadays, I call them “Dylinquents”…Their behavior now is almost immediately obvious, as they just seem to act a little weird. Others stumble, walk into walls, and are unable to speak, try to become part of my inner circle when I don’t even know them. Little things like that

So, in my book, Dylan has solidified his position as one of the scoundrels of the cadre “Monostatos”…
If so, any possible connection to the Zauberflote in the vortex was counterfeit and has ended, perhaps for good Hopefully, Dylan is operating under his own steam now…
2 thoughts on “Mankato, October 24, 2019”