Emerson In Twilight: Part 3

The last shall be first exemplified this no name
For I, the least talented member of the band
Was put in the solitary spotlight and sang
Just me plucking out songs on acoustic guitar
A twenty minute set of songs straight from the heart
Some were originals and some of common cause
With friendship felt applause
Yet brewing jealousy
Made bitterness quite raw
For some band members, I an unworthy upstart

Thirty days of vacation and an old backpack
Sleeping on the night trains washing in W C
I visited ten countries never looking back
Ireland was my favorite being chased by an old goat
On my way up Sugarloaf mountain alone
Then I went to Scotland to see monster Loch Ness
But Nellie was hiding so I ate scones with tea
This was an adventure
This was a life long dream
There was no topless beach
Where soldiers spend their time in idle fantasies

Time to go home, so I bid farewell Germany
And packed up the memories I had collected
Shipping boxes of pewter mugs and other things
Thankful to the US Army for many things
Beer festivals, castle tours and the wine fields
All so wonderful making life seem like a dream
I was recommended
A civil service job
But it was so boring
I quit and enrolled in a university

The disco craze was the dress code most students wore
My hippie roots lived in old jeans and a T-shirt
Hell with popularity I knew where I stood
I thought I met an angel, but she was engaged
Yet she gave me a treasure that my heart has saved
Just an old worn out book she said that I should read
Ralph Waldo Emerson
An essay on beauty
Changing my life's focus
To sense appreciation for all that must be

I soon settled in to university life
Enjoying my lessons and avoiding the crowds
I played English/Irish folk songs with far out dudes
And volunteered to work with disabled children
Making new friends changing my life to something new
Something in the air was filling me up with hope
I saw a friend limping
Carrying loads of books
I offered assistance
And this kindness was rewarding for there she stood

It was my friend's roommate a shining star it seemed
After introductions I asked her for a date
Something clicked between us although we had just met
No money in my pocket, but she did not mind
She thought I was a janitor and I just smiled
I was down to earth not fancy and this she liked
Soon love was blossoming
She the one I adored
From then and evermore
My parent's thought her an angel and they were right