Annie J. Dahlgren: Music

Alley Cat

(Annie J. Dahlgren)

Annie J. Dahlgren

This is the title track from my soon-to-be-released fourth CD. Anyone who has seen the earlier productions knows that I am fully into the art of CD packaging and for this next venture I had an idea for something interesting.

I have so many friends who are fine, fine artists and I know there are zillions more I don't know - so I thought, what if anybody who felt like it listened to this Alley Cat story and created a piece of art in any medium they felt like and then sent it in here to me to maybe use as the CD packaging and lyric booklet for the inside.

I thought maybe I could pick my favorite 12 or 15 images and then have a gallery of the all of the submittals so we can all dig on how different people artistically rendered the Alley Cat. I'm not fully sure how to implement this idea...but putting the song and my idea up seemed like a good first step.

I think the images could be sent to me right from my guestbook here - and then if I need a higher res version or something I could request it through there as well.

I love this idea......

Annie

Alley Cat

I was leaning against the wall of the parking garage outside my office

lighting up my first cigarette of the day because - you know

     I really did need a break.

Everyone glared at me as they pulled into their spaces

So I blew smoke in their general direction

   But I lowered my eyes when I did it.

While I was looking down I saw some kind of furry movement

right there in the first floor stairwell.

   A skinny-ass, stretched-out, greasy, old alley cat

and he froze just like a statue right there by the stairs.

Like I can’t see him all stiff like that – like he’s invisible

   But then he figures it out and takes off - just like a bullet.

In a flash he’s across the street underneath a dumpster

staring at me like his eyes are keeping me there.

Like if he looks away I might head right over there and –

Well he doesn’t really know…and that’s his problem.

I don’t know why I followed him – he didn’t seem like he needed anybody –

   Especially me.

Still, maybe he would come to me if I got down on my knees in my

stockings on the concrete in the alley.

   Maybe he would just trust me if I held out my hand and talked baby talk

and made culinary promises I probably couldn’t keep.

What do you do when they don’t run and they don’t come?

You back off that’s what - or it’s just too pathetic.



Before I even reached the center divider out he came to watch my progress

and then he let out a tiny little sound that seemed –

I don’t know – remorseful - yeah, that was it.

I could sense his regret for having treated me that way.

I had to turn back…I thought he needed me.

And then –

Do I have to say it?

Can’t you already imagine the snub and retreat and the

high-tail back under the dumpster?

Sure you can.

   Alley cat – here kitty kitty

   Alley cat – here kitty kitty

Next thing I know I’m living to serve – at beck and call

Under the thumb of someone with no thumbs.

   It’s a cautionary tale I guess, about effort spent on what you

don’t even want and all the time it takes to keep it there.

I gotta quit smoking.