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Dusty King

from Pictures From the Dock by Helyn Rain

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about

Dusty King is a friend of mine who got holed up in the Mississippi State Penitentiary for having marijuana in his possession. I got a letter from Dusty the day after Christmas. There it was sitting on my doorstep in Queens, letting me know he was in prison and he didn't know how long he'd be in there. We wrote letters back and forth for over 4 years. When he was finally released and we saw each other again in New Orleans, it was like the roof got blown off the sky, fireworks popped and lightning bugs paraded and all the beasts sang. Dusty was free. He told me that day that my letters were like little pieces of light in that dark place. It saved his life, knowing he was loved.

lyrics

Just because you’re not in prison anymore
doesn’t mean that I won’t write you letters
And it also doesn’t mean that I don’t think on you
each and almost every single day

Bet you never thought you’d get a letter from prison
Mississippi State no less
“They got me in for smoking pot and jumping bail and holy god,
They pinned me for this scoundrel that I’m not”

Bet you never thought you’d have a pen pal in prison
with perfect cursive penmanship
Who’s writing out the stories of his life for you
Write it off for Mr. Dusty King

There never was a stranger man in a cell

Bet you’ll never know how far a letter from a friend will go
Further than the pen I went and sent it
So lick a prayer, say a thought, send a stamp that’s all I got
Lighting up the Mississippi Pen
Light it up for Mr. Dusty King

There never was a stranger man in a cell
What a nut without a shell la la la la ooo

Bet you never thought you’d have a pen pal in prison
with perfect cursive penmanship
Who’s writing out the stories of his life for me

Sincerely smile when you think of Dusty King
Smile when you think of Dusty King
Sincerely smile when you think of Dusty King
Smile when you think of Dusty King
Sincerely smile when you think of Dusty King

credits

from Pictures From the Dock, released May 1, 2020

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tags

about

Helyn Rain image

Helyn Rain Austin, Texas

deep solitude
+
active longing
=
the night between us

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