reliquary

cowboy junkies

out of the brilliant sky in dealy plaza

like a spinning taco chip of fate

into the salsa bowl of cosmic wonder

dropped a fragment of the head of state

caught it bare-handed in full extension

like willie mays at the polo grounds

except i didn't hit the cut off man

i kept it for myself

now it's. in the center of my reliquary

in the basement of my bungalow

behind the picket fence that leans like crooked teeth

in my scale model of the grassy knoll

tourists coming through may find me creepy

but fees just love me

this i know

i see bags & bags of money floating in

the formaldehyde of my eyes

i kept the bottom jaw of ruby's dog

as a clip for my bolo tie

the paws i had sold at auction

built the extension on my garage

where in the rafters curled in 12-gauge plastic

with a red pen behind her ear

lee harvey oswald's fourth grade teacher

every fall i give her legs a stretch

in the center of my reliquary

we do a loosy-goosy skip-to-my-lou

in my tux with the magic bullet cufflinks

and a blood shot boutineer

dosey-doe

pop your partner in a limousine

let their back brace keep them in your sights

look

there's bags & bags of money floating in

the cross-hares of your eyes

sometimes i think

let him rest in peace

like a collector's commemorative plate

when i think that i'm really thinkin'

rest in peace

ya pieces of eight!

rest in peace

ya pieces of eight!

rest in peace? ya

pieces of eight!

'cause i have bits of jack and jackie floating in

the formaldehyde of my eyes

i see caroline and john-john floating in

the formaldehyde of my eyes

i see placemats

coffee mugs floating in

the formaldehyde of my eyes

i see t-shirts

hit records floating in

the formaldehyde of my eyes. in the middle of my reliquary

got the american dream in a jar