The Broken Hallelujahs

So Leonard went out from this world with a broken hallelu-

Jah.

I remember Maureen telling me, back in the day,

1969

If you’re feeling down and you want some

inspiration about it go hear Leonard

cuz Leonard Cohen is down!

That’s what she said.

She knew. Maureen knew. 

That was back in the day, a lifetime ago.

We called her Mike. From New York City, she was, or Brooklyn or

somewhere up there. Mike was rough around the edges

with her yankee speech and grubby blue jeans.

How she came to

our deep south campus

I’ll never know.

But Mike knew about Leonard Cohen.

One night we went to a movie, a doc about 

Nixon and it was very disturbing at the time. 

I was coming down from some windowpane

and I remember we parted ways, walking out of the

theater and she said:

Don’t do anything rash.

I don’t know why, but anyway I didn’t 

do anything rash.

Not ever, really.

I was a pretty good guy

I mean I had my troubles, like anybody, but

I was never really down like Mike had said Leonard was:

a Master of down, he was

if that’s your cup of tea.

Selah.

I never saw Mike again, after college.

but now it turns out that

Leonard made his egress from this world and he goes out

with everybody singing his hallelujah song.

the broken hallelujah

lament:

a great song really.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrLk4vdY28Q

I don’t know why, except 

it rings True

with his minor fall and the major lift,

a very tender hallelujah

broken

so saith Leonard

a very broken hallelujah.

Life, that is.

I wept.

But my exclamation 

with the minor fall and the major

Lift

turns out differently

as I will grab the nail-scarred hand

of a broken man:

hallelujah of a different kind.