Sunday, April 15, 2012

by Madeline Moore



Slowly you come to me/ Slowly we shed/
The clothes of our doubting/and slowly are wed





Famous Troubadour

It’s four in the morning
but everything's okay
I’m writing you now just
to say ‘Happy Birthday’

Toronto is steamy
I like where I’m living,
they’re busy on Clinton St.
all through the evening

I hear that you’re working
writing your poems, singing in Europe
You were robbed of your savings, G-d!
I hope you’re keeping some kind of record

Yes, and John came by just to drop off the girls
we’re finished as lovers, for sure
It’s been good for us, we have grown
Apart, and for good.

I loved you, as John did,
your songs were about us,
destructive, creative
and tortured with love/lust

You were part of our courtship,
and part of our wedding
still we weren’t prepared for
the pain of our ending



And you treated all women
to a sip of your life
I took more than my share, now
I’m nobody’s wife

Well I see you, hair grey and wrinkly face
Silent One so full of grace
Well I’m dry again but
now I know how to wait

He took all of your albums
I knew they would help him
He cried all the time, just like me


It cost us so much
to be free of each other
a home and a whole family

It’s hard when you’re young
it gets soft later on
so much to collect, then
so much to be gone

Yes and thanks
for the trouble you took for us all
for showing us it's okay
to fall, rise, and fall

I’m so happy you’re happy
an old monk who’s still sexy
and living among us again

I said, ‘Leonard I love you’
at the time of our meeting
I feel like we’ve always been friends

John and I aren’t pals
No secrets, no sighs
but we talk and last night
we laughed at his lies

And thanks
for the poems and songs that you write
for helping us give up the fight
We're beautiful losers, like you.

Sincerely,

M. Moore



Some of my favourite quotes from Leonard Cohen's work:





Boo hoo. Sob sob.

Confusion is a butterfly net for magic.


- novel - Beautiful Losers

I fought against the bottle, but I had to do it drunk.
Took my diamond to the pawnshop, but that don’t make it it junk.
I know that I’m forgiven, but I don’t know how I know
I don’t trust my inner feelings, inner feelings come and go.


That Don’t Make it Junk – Ten New Songs

And he gave the wind my wedding ring

– By the Rivers Dark – Ten New Songs




I followed the course/From chaos to art
Desire the horse/ Depression the cart


– poetry - Book of Longing








Even though she sleeps upon your satin
Even though she wakes you with a kiss
Do not say the moment was imagined
Do not stoop to strategies like this

You who were bewildered by her meaning
Whose code was broken, crucifix undone
Say goodbye to Alexandra leaving
Then say goodbye to Alexandra gone.
Say goodbye to Alexandra leaving
Then say goodbye to Alexandra lost.

- Alexandra Leaving - Ten New Songs



Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in
That’s how the light gets in

-Anthem - More Best of Leonard Cohen


Visit this site for all kinds of information about LC.

Like love, I could go on and on, but that's enough out of me. I'm gone.
It's your turn to talk! Favourite quotes? Memories of Leonard? Anecdotes? Thoughts on his artwork or the movie soundtracks that use his work (there are 40 of them!)?

Oh! Just one more thing.



Leonard Cohen will be 74 years old on September 21. So, from all of us at Lust Bites to you, Leonard:


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