The other day, while getting the last of the contributor’s bios and publication agreements together for North Dakota Quarterly 85, Rick Watson sent along a little song. 

It’s nothing particularly fancy, but when I received it, first thing in the morning, it made my day. I asked Rick if I could share it on the NDQ blog and he generously agreed.

Maybe it’ll make your day too:

Song About Your Needs

you eat because it tastes good
not accounting for your taste

you smoke from youth for lung
love–and not for nicotine

you drink because you’re dry
the good stuff really costs

you chase the gender bridge
to feel the beat,
the pulse of someone
else’s blood in you

but none of this is what you want
hell will never be enough

none of this is what you need
sister brother you play rough

not one bit of this is what you need
and you know it on your knees

you know it when you plead
when you hear is in the songs

when you smell God in the air

~

Rick Watson is a ND native, SW ND —Mott The Spot–retired ELCA Pastor, and just retired after many years in the Humanities Division at Minot State—he writes, poetry, songs, performs and sings, has a website —highplainscreole.com (free downloads of music and poetry note books—as well as a contact page on Facebook). He is a ND Associate Poet Laureate—some of his poetry is available at NDSU Press, from his press: Coyote Lofi, and also all of his material is available at Main Street Books in Minot ND (one of the last Indie Book Stores in the State) He is married and has two grown sons.