she has laughing eyes

she has laughing eyes

take your shoes off grab a cup of coffee and sit a spell
and let me tell you about a place not far from here really

not so long ago maybe a day, a month, a year
it was just yesterday when the sun came over the mountain
and I stood under the mountain
at school, a college up north
where the walls were gray granite
and she was sitting there in the hallway
wearing a sheepskin levi jacket
her hair was long and her eyes were dark
she had laughing eyes
sitting there waiting
not for me

hey there
she didn’t even look at me
i sat down on the floor
she opened a book
where are you from
i was young, tall and thin
wearing levis and converse
how could she not look at me

she just sat there and turned away
looking down the hall for someone else
her brother I knew I had heard
they called him Indian
i knew him years ago
she had dark eyes

she had laughing eyes
she had laughing eyes
she was notahi
she was hotahi

she moved me
not even saying one word
it was all in her eyes
she wouldn’t even talk to me
she wouldn’t even talk to me

way later there was a night
an Apache girl said come on by
so I went over to find something to eat
and there at the door was this girl
the one who wouldn’t talk to me

she had laughing eyes
she had laughing eyes

In those days
I had no money
Just 35 cents to my name
a load of wash to do
a load of wash to do

she came walking on by
so we talked for a while

maybe an ice cream cone
she looked at me
come on let’s go over there
it just across the street
just one
so we walked on down there
bought her one, plain vanilla it was
she said don’t you want one
no, no I said, I have eaten already

it sure looked good
it sure looked good

It started to snow on the way back
she said I have to go
she left me standing there
so I ran after her
to walk her home
she was faster than me
running like a wild horse
she stayed in front of me
all the way to her door

so that is how it was with this one
she had laughing eyes

so that is how it was
back in the day
a day went by
a week
a month

she came away with me
she came away with me

and then one day
way out in navajoland
not too far away really
just a step away...

up on star mountain
so sila butte
ip on star mountain
so sila butte

the embers of the fire glowed dimly
inside a hogan
facing east
early morning dew
covered the ground

cold it is
the air hanging with the mist of early dawn
morning
morning

the sound of soft wind
leaves rustle
the blue jay sings

she lays there
she lays there
on an old iron spring bed
the ends are cold pipe
they are gilded in silver
I see her long hair
long black hair
she moves in the early light
a Pendleton shawl covers her
red, white and gray it is
her hair streams down


a small smile comes to me
how could this be so
she is just like a new day
catching my breath

she lays next to me
just right there
the night gone
laying here
we are running for dawn
slowly it catches us

soft light caresses her so
slowly
ever so slowly
her hair covers me
so black
it covers me wholly
there is nothing like it

her dark eyes so soft
the taste of sage hangs in the air
I have been blessed
see this early light
she lays there
she lays there
dawn has blessed me
dawn has blessed me


her eyes glisten
her brown skin touches me
her long black hair
hangs down
the taste of dawn is sweet
the taste of dawn is sweet

rustywire rustywire@yahoo.com