Like Flowers In A Vase (For Joni Mitchell)
by Michael Doyle

Blonde hair and a long silhouette
A beautiful voice, unforgotten yet
Life's so short and makes us numb
Beauty like this is what we become

A voice for her generation
Held by many with great veneration
A lifetime's faded memory
A matriarch for our musical family

Sus chords ask needed questions
One to another without hesitation
Joni Mitchell, rock's Lady Blue
She held tight to her point of view

It suited her to be involved
In the clouds, unresolved 
Life held up in introspection
She paints in words of circumspection

So much that we've taken for granted
As madmen and badmen wildly ranted
To get across our points of view
But no one knows just what is true

Spoken from a first-person narrative
With full voice bold and declarative
These were her truths to be shown
As if these things were already known

So much is left for our interpretation
Day upon day of life's contemplation
And the clouds surround to shelter you
But do they hint at the refractions of blue

Laurel Canyon's painted tapestry
Whisper the melody's mastery
Complex in chords and emotions
Following self was her secret devotion

Like fire in its fireplace
Songs are like flowers in their vase
Some loves seem to flow together
Joni's songs said it better

(c) November 23, 2024    Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved