Tom's story: 2001

TOM'S STORY, YEAR BY YEAR Start here: every yearNo date found yetBy type: all pages
← 2000EVERY YEAR2002 →

266 pieces on this page. Click a picture or "See the whole card" to open the card.

2001 — Tom was 22 and 23

266 pieces on this year: 6 dated to this year · 259 from a range of years, shown here in the middle · 1 made this year or later.

DATED TO 2001

Item 1854 — HEALTH ASSESSMENT, picture 1 of 3
1854HEALTH ASSESSMENT
January 25, 2001 (age 22) PROVED
ESSAYS AND OTHER WRITINGS (NOT LYRICS)
Tom's typed HEALTH ASSESSMENT for his Health and Wellness class (January 25, 2001), a frank look at his family's struggles and his own drinking, three pages.
the card says: written at age 22
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 1861 — WELLNESS PLANNING, picture 1 of 1
1861WELLNESS PLANNING
February 9, 2001 (age 22) PROVED
ESSAYS AND OTHER WRITINGS (NOT LYRICS)
The opening page of Tom's typed WELLNESS PLANNING paper (February 9, 2001), where he writes that he never thought he would work on his recovery for college credit.
the card says: made at age 22
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 1856 — MARIJUANA ADDICTION, picture 1 of 6
1856MARIJUANA ADDICTION
April 18, 2001 (age 22) PROVED
ESSAYS AND OTHER WRITINGS (NOT LYRICS)
Tom's typed college research paper MARIJUANA ADDICTION for his health class (April 18, 2001), tracing the drug from ancient China to modern addiction studies, with its title page and reference list.
the card says: made at age 22
See the whole card → 6 pictures
Item 1859 — MARIJUANA ADDICTION, picture 1 of 5
1859MARIJUANA ADDICTION
April 18, 2001 (age 22) PROVED
ESSAYS AND OTHER WRITINGS (NOT LYRICS)
Tom's typed college research paper MARIJUANA ADDICTION (April 18, 2001), five printed pages on the history and effects of the drug.
the card says: made at age 22
See the whole card → 5 pictures
Item 1863 — COPING, picture 1 of 6
1863COPING
June 10, 2001 (age 22) PROVED
ESSAYS AND OTHER WRITINGS (NOT LYRICS)
Tom's typed Health and Wellness paper COPING (June 10, 2001) on how people handle stress, from defence mechanisms to the music that changes his mood, six pages.
the card says: made at age 22
See the whole card → 6 pictures
Item 1858 — WELLNESS, picture 1 of 4
1858WELLNESS
June 12, 2001 (age 22)
ESSAYS AND OTHER WRITINGS (NOT LYRICS)
Tom's typed health class essay WELLNESS (June 12, 2001), stamped Scanned, which carries the verse Cannot fix the flaw - only patch the hole, a verse that is also in his song PATCHING THE HOLE (set list 18, track 8).
the card says: written at age 22
See the whole card → 4 pictures

ABOUT 2001: FROM A RANGE OF YEARS, SHOWN HERE IN THE MIDDLE

Item 1514 — Boston Red Sox And Concert Ticket Stub Collection, picture 1 of 1
1514Boston Red Sox And Concert Ticket Stub Collection
about 1997-2006 (age 19 to 27) PROVED
OBJECTS AND KEEPSAKES (TICKETS, POSTERS, SIGNS, SHIRTS, A GUITAR)
A collection of Tom's ticket stubs, mostly Boston Red Sox games at Fenway Park plus concerts and shows including Creed, Blue Man Group, Romeo and Juliet, and Jimmy Page with the Black Crowes.
the card says: dated from age 19 to age 27
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 1527 — Salem State College Acceptance Letter And Transfer Office Letter, picture 1 of 3
1527Salem State College Acceptance Letter And Transfer Office Letter
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 24) PROVED
SCHOOL AND GROWING-UP KEEPSAKES
Two typed Salem State College letters to Tom: his February 15, 2000 acceptance letter opening with Congratulations, and an August 6, 2002 letter from the transfer office.
the card says: dated from age 21 to age 24
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 1821 — Dangers of Alcohol, picture 1 of 5
1821Dangers of Alcohol
about 1998-2004 (age 20 to 25)
ESSAYS AND OTHER WRITINGS (NOT LYRICS)
Tom's typed college essay DANGERS OF ALCOHOL, which opens with him watching a ball game on TV, four pages, kept with the comb-bound cover of his Fall 1999 English Composition class magazine THE MAGNIFICANT SEVEN.
the card says: about 1998-2004 (age 20 to 25)
See the whole card → 5 pictures
Item 1822 — A battle fatigued U.S. marine in World War II with the Thousand Yard Stare, picture 1 of 3
1822A battle fatigued U.S. marine in World War II with the Thousand Yard Stare
about 1999-2004 (age 20 to 26) BEST GUESS
ESSAYS AND OTHER WRITINGS (NOT LYRICS)
Tom's college sociology research paper on the thousand yard stare of battle fatigue, its title page showing a World War II marine and the teacher's A with comments, together with his own typed TOM'S GUIDE TO NOT HATING HAVING TO WRITE A RESEARCH PAPER in twenty steps.
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 1878 — Like Leonardo Da Vinci and Benjamin Franklin, picture 1 of 5
1878Like Leonardo Da Vinci and Benjamin Franklin
about 1999-2004 (age 20 to 26) BEST GUESS
ESSAYS AND OTHER WRITINGS (NOT LYRICS)
A typed draft of Tom's college history paper on Thomas Jefferson, opening Like Leonardo Da Vinci and Benjamin Franklin, with his pencil note on the Boston Massacre and typed reminders (cut deficit & legacy, louisiana purchase, virgina plan).
See the whole card → 5 pictures
Item 1880 — Philosophy plays a major role in anyone's life, picture 1 of 5
1880Philosophy plays a major role in anyone's life
about 1999-2004 (age 20 to 26) BEST GUESS
ESSAYS AND OTHER WRITINGS (NOT LYRICS)
Tom's typed college essay on his philosophy of teaching - that a teacher is a mediator between students and ideas - five pages.
See the whole card → 5 pictures
Item 1895 — Hello, I'm sorry I haven't had the courage to talk to you, picture 1 of 1
1895Hello, I'm sorry I haven't had the courage to talk to you
about 1999-2004 (age 20 to 26) BEST GUESS
ESSAYS AND OTHER WRITINGS (NOT LYRICS)
Tom's typed letter to an old love, admitting he still thinks of her but fears rekindling an old flame that could set the whole world on fire, signed your friend Tom.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 1819 — TABLE OF CONTENTS, picture 1 of 14
1819TABLE OF CONTENTS
about 1999-2003 (age 20 to 25) BEST GUESS
ESSAYS AND OTHER WRITINGS (NOT LYRICS)
A binder section of Tom's sports writing in sheet protectors - his hand-drawn TABLE OF CONTENTS and COMMON GROUND pages with runner and batter drawings, and his bylined clipping Team effort boosts Mallett in Social Club Race - kept with his typed 1999 creative writing story THE INDEPENDENCE OF JOHN BROWN.
the card says: dated from age 20 to age 24
See the whole card → 14 pictures
Item 10 — Battling to defeat the day, picture 1 of 1
10Battling to defeat the day
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S40: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten ink lyric "Battling to defeat the day," the words of the song SHE (song list 2, track 5), on a single loose-leaf sheet with a few scribbled-out lines, published in Poems By Tom (2007).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 20 — RISE UP, picture 1 of 3
20RISE UP
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S27: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem RISE UP ("Smell the rebellion in the air"), a protest piece about money and power, written on two spiral-notebook sheets and published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 21 — MY Garden, picture 1 of 1
21MY Garden
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line M16: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten poem MY GARDEN (set list 14, track 9), about a future planted by the choices you make, about twenty lines on a single spiral-notebook sheet from his early yellow binder years (age 18 to 23).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 22 — Leaving Your Roots, picture 1 of 1
22Leaving Your Roots
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line L8: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric of the song LEAVING YOUR ROOTS (song list 10, track 4), about a picture on the wall that tells the story of a hundred faces, on a single hole-punched notebook sheet with revisions and a word in the margin.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 23 — BLANK PAGES, picture 1 of 2
23BLANK PAGES
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder lines B9 and O7: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten poem BLANK PAGES (set list 3, track 12), which opens "My life's work has been handed to me," about twenty-five lines on hole-punched loose-leaf; the poem is in Tom's Anthology, September 18, 2011 and later books. A second sheet under this number holds the short poem OLD EYES ('The men who run the country only see things one way'), which is in Tom's Anthology, September 18, 2011 and, in a longer form inside MUD SLIDES, in Poems By Tom (2007).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 24 — A THOUSAND MILES ABOVE ? (Tom unsure), picture 1 of 1
24A THOUSAND MILES ABOVE ? (Tom unsure)
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line T20: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem under the block-letter title A THOUSAND MILES ABOVE ("She came from the land of sun"), on a torn spiral-notebook sheet, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 26 — When the snow flakes cover the ground, picture 1 of 1
26When the snow flakes cover the ground
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S26: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten clean copy of the song SNOWFLAKES (song list 10, track 1), "When the snowflakes cover the ground," on a hole-punched loose-leaf sheet, published in Poems By Tom (2007).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 27 — IN THE POURING RAIN, picture 1 of 3
27IN THE POURING RAIN
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line I11: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric of the song IN THE POURING RAIN (song list 5, track 3), a love song on two spiral-notebook sheets, the first with a hand-decorated title. (best guess - not yet proved)
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 28 — It looks like I'm stuck inside the house again, picture 1 of 2
28It looks like I'm stuck inside the house again
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line O10: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten poem "It looks like I'm stuck inside the house again," a restless piece about singing the blues and writing to kill the time, on two sheets torn from a spiral notebook, published in Poems By Tom (2007).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 29 — CHECKMATE, picture 1 of 2
29CHECKMATE
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line P16: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten poem CHECKMATE, about a life played like a chess game against someone watching from way up high, on two spiral-notebook sheets - the words of the song PLAYING CHESS (set list 8, track 3).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 30 — BLANK PAGES, picture 1 of 1
30BLANK PAGES
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line B9: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten poem BLANK PAGES (set list 3, track 12) written out in cursive, which opens "My life's work has been handed to me," on a hole-punched loose-leaf sheet with a small open book drawn beside the title and four more lines at the foot ("I haven't regret what I've done").
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 32 — Get Outta My House, picture 1 of 1
32Get Outta My House
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line G8: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten poem GET OUTTA MY HOUSE (set list 12, track 7), a full lyric on loose-leaf with a hand-drawn title and a doodle of a house, published in Poems By Tom (2007).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 33 — BLESSING IN DISGUISE, picture 1 of 2
33BLESSING IN DISGUISE
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line B10: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten working draft of the song BLESSING IN DISGUISE (song list 7, track 1), on two sheets - a titled verse sheet and a second sheet of boxed couplets with a rhyme list down the left margin.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 35 — HOMELESS MAN / I AM BASICALLY, picture 1 of 3
35HOMELESS MAN / I AM BASICALLY
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line P23: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten poem HOMELESS MAN ("Homeless man in the alley / He's paying his dues"), about a sleeping man whose shoes are stolen by children, on two sheets - one from a spiral notebook - with the companion lines "I am basically" on the second.
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 39 — A child cloned by her environment, picture 1 of 1
39A child cloned by her environment
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S40: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten seven-line stanza "A child cloned by her environment," part of the song SHE (song list 2, track 5), in dark ink on a water-stained lined sheet with a torn left edge. (best guess - not yet proved)
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 47 — Tick Tock back and forth moves the clock, picture 1 of 1
47Tick Tock back and forth moves the clock
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line T10: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten poem "Tick Tock back and forth moves the clock / But time it stands still on this here block," on loose-leaf with the alphabet written out as a rhyming aid - the words of the song HIDDEN EVILS (set list 18, track 7).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 52 — The sun is rising, picture 1 of 1
52The sun is rising
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line C7: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten full lyric "The sun is rising / The birds are chirping," about searching for a goal while brother fights brother, about twenty lines on a hole-punched notebook sheet - the words that became the song COST OF WAR (song list 1, track 4).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 56 — RUMORS FROM HEAVEN, picture 1 of 1
56RUMORS FROM HEAVEN
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line R18: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's typed page of the poem RUMORS FROM HEAVEN (set list 21, track 11), about rock and roll arriving in heaven, covered in his handwritten additions - a new opening verse and margin lines calling in Dylan, Elvis, Sinatra and other music legends.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 58 — FATE, picture 1 of 1
58FATE
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line G12: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten unpublished poem FATE ("By the time you know what I know / it'll be too late"), in capitals on loose-leaf with an outline-letter title and verses boxed in red.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 59 — CHILDREN BUILD A SANDCASTLE, picture 1 of 1
59CHILDREN BUILD A SANDCASTLE
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line C19: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem CHILDREN BUILD A SANDCASTLE ("just to watch it wash away"), on a small plain sheet, from his early yellow binder years (age 18 to 23) and published in 180 Good Poems (2012).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 60 — I see her dance and I feel it again, picture 1 of 1
60I see her dance and I feel it again
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line T15: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten love poem "I see her dance and I feel it again," on a loose-leaf sheet, from his early yellow binder years (age 18 to 23) and published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 62 — ALL YOU GOT, picture 1 of 1
62ALL YOU GOT
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line A16: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten twelve-line poem ALL YOU GOT ("Yesterday is history / Tomorrow is a mystery"), about the present slipping past too fast, on a lined sheet with a bubble-letter title, from his early yellow binder years (age 18 to 23).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 66 — They only say you first, picture 1 of 1
66They only say you first
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S47: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten four-line verse "They only say you first," on a sheet torn from a spiral notebook - part of the song SPREADING THE WORD (set list 17, track 10).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 76 — We got the AC pumpin, picture 1 of 1
76We got the AC pumpin
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line C14: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short lyric "We got the AC pumpin / Cause the heat is comin'," written on a torn Salem State College 1998-2000 catalog cover along with a second poem, "Captain Haybar hit the deck", written slanting across the lower half, published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 77 — It's not that I'd rather be alone, picture 1 of 1
77It's not that I'd rather be alone
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line E8: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten short love poem "It's not that I'd rather be alone / Than be at your side," about the feelings he hides, on a small torn sheet of yellowed lined paper.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 79 — Pool of Love, picture 1 of 1
79Pool of Love
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line P21: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem POOL OF LOVE ("My desire bleeds / For what my heart needs"), on a spiral-notebook sheet with the title drawn inside a sketched pool and rhyme counts in the margin, published in Tom's Anthology, September 18, 2011.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 80 — hanging by a rope, picture 1 of 1
80hanging by a rope
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S32: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten thirteen-line lyric "hanging by a rope / we each cling to hope," about being stranded on an island, on a sheet torn from a spiral notebook - the words of the song STRANDED (song list 4, track 2).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 82 — I See Faces On The Wall, picture 1 of 1
82I See Faces On The Wall
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line V7: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem I SEE FACES ON THE WALL ("Mimicking my reflection / As I am pacing up and down the hall"), on a torn-edge loose-leaf sheet, from his early yellow binder years (age 18 to 23) and published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
See the whole card → 1 picture
83RATED NC-17 · on the adults-only pages
Item 84 — PAYING YOUR DUES, picture 1 of 1
84PAYING YOUR DUES
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line P12: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem PAYING YOUR DUES ("You're in violation of your probation"), on a loose-leaf sheet with a bubble-letter title and a crossed-out heading above it, from his early yellow binder years (age 18 to 23).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 85 — SEEING STARS, picture 1 of 1
85SEEING STARS
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S20: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten purple-ink poem SEEING STARS ("I went out on a bender / Crushing ice in my blender"), a rhyming tale of a wild night that ends in rehab, on a lined sheet with a bubble-letter title.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 86 — CLOSER TO GOD, picture 1 of 1
86CLOSER TO GOD
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line C18: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem CLOSER TO GOD, which begins with an old man asking if he went to church, on a torn-edge loose-leaf sheet in purple-brown ink, published in Poems By Tom (2007).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 87 — FALLEN CLOUDS, picture 1 of 2
87FALLEN CLOUDS
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line F10: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric FALLEN CLOUDS ("Hanging clouds drift above / After the battle in the sky"), on two sheets under an outlined bubble title - the words of the song WORTH THE WAIT (song list 5, track 2).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 88 — PIGEON LAND, picture 1 of 1
88PIGEON LAND
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line P15: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten purple-ink poem PIGEON LAND ("As I stumble down the street / The street lights go out"), about the gap between the haves and the have-nots, on loose-leaf with an outlined title, published in 180 Good Poems (2012).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 89 — DAYLIGHT AGAIN, picture 1 of 2
89DAYLIGHT AGAIN
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line D17: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten poem DAYLIGHT AGAIN (set list 1, track 3), about waiting in the shadows for the light to return, written across two sheets of yellow legal-pad paper, published in Poems By Tom (2007).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 92 — SPREADING THE WORD, picture 1 of 1
92SPREADING THE WORD
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S47: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric SPREADING THE WORD ("I just cracked my first beer"), on a spiral-torn notebook sheet with crossouts and an illustrated title - the words of the song UNITY (song list 7, track 3).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 93 — SMELL THE FLOWERS / [name kept private], picture 1 of 7
93SMELL THE FLOWERS / [name kept private]
about 2000-2002 (age 22 to 23) - yellow binder line S24: about age 22 to 23 (Tom's own word on this song, 10-06) BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten cursive fair copy of the song SMELL THE FLOWERS (song list 9, track 10), "Oh [name kept private], stop and smell the flowers," on two hole-punched loose-leaf sheets, together with further draft pages of the same song.
See the whole card → 7 pictures
Item 99 — Looking for a role model, picture 1 of 1
99Looking for a role model
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line B26: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten untitled lyric "Looking for a role model / Looking for a good hobby / Ended up picking up a bottle," five verses on a spiral-torn notebook sheet - the words of the song WARMER WATERS (song list 2, track 3).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 115 — It's all bottled up, picture 1 of 1
115It's all bottled up
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line A22: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten blue-ink poem "It's all bottled up / all this love, all this pain," on a torn spiral-notebook sheet - part of the song MESSY ROOM (set list 15, track 8).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 116 — Worship me for who I am, picture 1 of 1
116Worship me for who I am
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line L19: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten poem "Worship me for who I am / Not for who I'm not," on a torn spiral-notebook sheet - part of the song LET ME LIVE THE DREAM (set list 4, track 12).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 117 — Let Me Live The Dream, picture 1 of 3
117Let Me Live The Dream
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line L19: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric LET ME LIVE THE DREAM ("I woke up, my mind was racing"), written in ink around two paper plates, with a second verse ("I never show my weakness") on the lower plate, published in Poems By Tom (2007).
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 119 — I.M. GRENDEL, picture 1 of 1
119I.M. GRENDEL
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line R6: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten blue-ink poem I.M. GRENDEL ("Self control is a common goal / By using free will people can kill"), on a loose-leaf sheet under an outlined title, from his early yellow binder years (age 18 to 23).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 123 — MIDAS TOUCH, picture 1 of 1
123MIDAS TOUCH
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line M18: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten five-line version of MIDAS TOUCH ("Your Midas touch turned me into gold"), in large letters on a yellow legal-pad sheet, from his early yellow binder years (age 18 to 23).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 124 — Today is the day I know that I will make it, picture 1 of 1
124Today is the day I know that I will make it
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line L9: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten stanza "Today is the day I know that I will make it," a songwriter's vow to break the mold and learn from the masters, on a clean lined sheet - tied to the song FRESCO (song list 5, track 5).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 135 — A DIME A DOZEN, picture 1 of 1
135A DIME A DOZEN
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line D21: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten black-ink poem A DIME A DOZEN ("There's a blue sky above / But the weather's still cold"), about everyone searching for a pot of gold, on a white lined sheet with a bubble-letter title - the words of PUSHING THE BUTTON (set list 10, track 2).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 137 — Some people only buy a thirty, picture 1 of 1
137Some people only buy a thirty
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line B14: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten four-line comic verse "Some people only buy a thirty / And they get a little dirty," on a loose-leaf sheet, from his early yellow binder years (age 18 to 23).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 138 — PEAKING THROUGH THE KEYHOLE, picture 1 of 1
138PEAKING THROUGH THE KEYHOLE
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line P13: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten poem PEAKING THROUGH THE KEYHOLE ("Sometimes I need a good talking to set my mind at ease"), on a white lined sheet with a bubble-letter title - one of the first poems in his early yellow binder and the words of the song REHAB (set list 4, track 6).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 139 — SUCKING THE LIFE, picture 1 of 1
139SUCKING THE LIFE
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S19: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten brown-ink poem SUCKING THE LIFE ("This place is sucking the life out of me / The light is so dim I can barely see"), on a lined sheet.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 140 — BETTER OFF DEAD, picture 1 of 1
140BETTER OFF DEAD
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line B18: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN POEMS BY TOM
Tom's handwritten poem BETTER OFF DEAD, in pen on a lined sheet under a bubble-letter title, about wasted lives in a barroom and the road out that they might miss.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 141 — ALL OR NOTHING, picture 1 of 1
141ALL OR NOTHING
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line A14: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric that became the song INNOCENCE LOST (set list 7, track 8 of the 34 albums), beginning 'Yes I was once a child many years ago', in black and green ink on a crinkled spiral sheet, published in Poems By Tom (2007).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 142 — DOWNWARD SPIRAL, picture 1 of 1
142DOWNWARD SPIRAL
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line D14: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric DOWNWARD SPIRAL (set list 4, track 4 of the 34 albums), on a torn-edge spiral notebook sheet with a drawn box on the right side and two scribbled-out lines at the bottom, published in Poems By Tom (2007).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 143 — BREAKING THE LAW, picture 1 of 1
143BREAKING THE LAW
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line B15: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten working draft of BREAKING THE LAW, a shorter lyric from the 34 albums, on a torn spiral notebook sheet with two crossed-out words.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 144 — ME, YOU AND HOOBIE DOO, picture 1 of 3
144ME, YOU AND HOOBIE DOO
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line M23: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten story-lyric ME, YOU AND HOOBIE DOO, about a student who liked to earn A's, written across two spiral notebook pages ending with the chorus 'She said me, you and hoobie doo'.
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 147 — I used to type on a computer, picture 1 of 1
147I used to type on a computer
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line T7: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short lyric I USED TO TYPE ON A COMPUTER, eight lines about a private-school kid who went off the rails, on a spiral-torn notebook sheet.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 148 — GREEN, picture 1 of 1
148GREEN
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line G11: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten, previously unpublished short lyric GREEN, about money and envy, written in green ink under a big green block-letter title on a loose-leaf sheet.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 149 — I do what I do, picture 1 of 1
149I do what I do
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line E6: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten untitled poem beginning 'I do what I do / But at least I do it well', on a torn-edge loose-leaf sheet, published in Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 150 — A fine line, picture 1 of 1
150A fine line
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line F13: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem A fine line, on the thin line between peace and war and love and hate, on a clean wide-ruled loose-leaf sheet.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 151 — STAKING THE FLAG, picture 1 of 1
151STAKING THE FLAG
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S17: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric STAKING THE FLAG, a satirical look at the taking of the American frontier, on a one-hole-punched torn-edge spiral notebook sheet, published in Poems By Tom (2007).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 152 — PRISON GUARD ANTHEM / Escape From Alcatraz, picture 1 of 2
152PRISON GUARD ANTHEM / Escape From Alcatraz
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line P10: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Two handwritten sheets tied to the song WORTH THE WAIT (song list 5, track 2 of the 34 albums): PRISON GUARD ANTHEM on loose-leaf with a torn spiral edge, and Escape From Alcatraz on 3-hole-punched loose-leaf.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 153 — I wake up I can't see my face, picture 1 of 1
153I wake up I can't see my face
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line C12: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric for the song CLEAN WIPE TO THE SLATE (song list 3, track 5 of the 34 albums), beginning 'I wake up I can't see my face', on a yellowed spiral notebook page.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 155 — MY BEST FRIEND, picture 1 of 1
155MY BEST FRIEND
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line M25: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric MY BEST FRIEND, which became the song MY BEST FRIENDS (set list 4, track 10 of the 34 albums), under a bubble-letter title on a lined sheet.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 156 — HUNDRED DOLLAR HEADACHES, picture 1 of 2
156HUNDRED DOLLAR HEADACHES
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line H15: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem HUNDRED DOLLAR HEADACHES, about turning a hundred dollar bill into a headache, on two loose-leaf sheets with an outlined title.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 161 — I started drinking to drown my sorrows, picture 1 of 2
161I started drinking to drown my sorrows
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line T31: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN POEMS BY TOM
Tom's handwritten poem 'I started drinking to drown my sorrows', about drinking until you no longer know how deep you are in, written on the back of a printed Houghton Mifflin college marketing handout, published in Poems By Tom (2007).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 163 — Empty blue lines fill my head while white, picture 1 of 1
163Empty blue lines fill my head while white
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line A7: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten untitled poem 'Empty blue lines fill my head while white lines fill my brain', in cursive on a 3-hole-punched loose-leaf sheet.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 165 — Her mystery is her illusion, picture 1 of 1
165Her mystery is her illusion
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line H8: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem with the alphabet written across the top, beginning 'Her mystery is her illusion', on a single lined sheet with the last line struck through.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 167 — It's time to wake up, picture 1 of 2
167It's time to wake up
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S27: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN POEMS BY TOM
Tom's handwritten poem 'It's time to wake up', a wake-up call about inherited privilege and absent fathers, written across two lined sheets, published in Poems By Tom (2007).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 168 — The coming of fall, picture 1 of 1
168The coming of fall
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line C28: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric for the song COMING OF FALL (song list 4, track 3 of the 34 albums), about a man on the edge of a mountain searching for the truth, in ink under a bubble-letter title on a 3-hole-punched lined sheet.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 170 — She, picture 1 of 1
170She
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S40: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric for the song SHE (song list 2, track 5 of the 34 albums), about a girl who was barefoot and pregnant and now regrets it, on an aged, water-stained spiral notebook sheet.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 171 — Are you happy when its gone?, picture 1 of 1
171Are you happy when its gone?
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line W28: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem 'Are you happy when its gone?', a short piece on the empty mirror, the empty vein and the empty bottle, on a badly creased and torn lined sheet whose wear is part of the piece - an early short sheet of lines later used in the poem WATER BIRDS, printed in Tom's Anthology (2011, 2012) and the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 172 — I have known and lost someone, picture 1 of 2
172I have known and lost someone
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line C26: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric 'I have known and lost someone', about loss and the turning seasons, written on the back of a typed page of Tom's own college essay told in the voice of Shoeless Joe Jackson.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 174 — As old as the earth is, picture 1 of 2
174As old as the earth is
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S41: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem 'As old as the earth is', asking why anyone even tries to be original, on a loose sheet with a torn, folded top corner and a stain, published in Poems By Tom (2007).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 175 — Whenever she blows kisses they're aimed at you, picture 1 of 1
175Whenever she blows kisses they're aimed at you
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line H22: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
LOOSE LYRICS, ONE-LINERS AND RHYME WORD BANKS
Tom's handwritten lyric in blue ink on a spiral-torn sheet of lined loose-leaf, opening Whenever she blows kisses they're aimed at you - about being the other guy to a married woman - and ending If the dealer is bluffing than the players are blind.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 176 — Just heard such a laim band it makes, picture 1 of 1
176Just heard such a laim band it makes
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line A7: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem 'Just heard such a laim band it makes me wanna write', a young songwriter's jab at a bad band, in cursive on a 3-hole-punched notebook sheet.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 178 — As the bell starts sounding, picture 1 of 1
178As the bell starts sounding
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line C9: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short lyric 'As the bell starts sounding', a comic turn in the voice of Pavlov's dog, on a lined notebook sheet.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 184 — The Defenseless / HOPE HAS A FACE, picture 1 of 1
184The Defenseless / HOPE HAS A FACE
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line F17: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten half lyric The Defenseless, three lines on why walking past the defenseless without striking is everything, followed by the heading HOPE HAS A FACE, on a mostly blank loose-leaf sheet.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 185 — One's loss, another's gain, picture 1 of 8
185One's loss, another's gain
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line W23: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten working papers for the song WHERE I AM FROM (song list 6, track 8 of the 34 albums): eight sheets across spiral notebook and loose-leaf (four loose-leaf, four spiral). They hold a clean copy titled One's loss, Another's gain, five working drafts of it, and two loose-leaf sheets of other poems ('Staring up at the courthouse'; 'I don't remember the color of her eyes').
See the whole card → 8 pictures
Item 187 — THE GAME, picture 1 of 2
187THE GAME
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line G7: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric THE GAME, which became the song GAME (set list 3, track 13 of the 34 albums), a baseball at-bat told as a picture of life, on a torn lined sheet.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 188 — OF THE DAZE, picture 1 of 1
188OF THE DAZE
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line O9: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem OF THE DAZE, about losing the freedom of walking in the woods and breathing clean air, on lined sheets taped into one long page under a bubble-letter title.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 194 — Trapped in this invisable cage, picture 1 of 2
194Trapped in this invisable cage
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S10: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem 'Trapped in this invisable cage', about living inside the confinement of society until the shepherd returns, in blue ink on two lined sheets, tied to the song PUSHING THE BUTTON (set list 10, track 2 of the 34 albums).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 195 — Only for not lonely for, picture 1 of 1
195Only for not lonely for
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line L9: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten poem Only for not lonely for, with the vowels and consonants sorted across the top as a rhyme aid and two stanzas beginning 'Since I am a poet I will fight you only with my pen', in blue ink on a torn-corner lined sheet.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 202 — The poorest chorus, picture 1 of 2
202The poorest chorus
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line B26: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric for the song POOREST CHORUS (set list 13, track 7 of the 34 albums), a social satire beginning 'I've been watching the white trashification of these United States', in blue pen on two lined sheets with a word list in the margin.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 221 — Huh, money's nothing, picture 1 of 3
221Huh, money's nothing
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line T28: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten untitled lyric beginning 'Huh, money's nothing / but a sin to be born', tied to the song ABSOLUTELY MARIE (song list 10, track 11 of the 34 albums), on a white lined sheet ending 'our castle is made of sand'.
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 222 — ABSOLUTELY MARIE, picture 1 of 1
222ABSOLUTELY MARIE
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line A12: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric ABSOLUTELY MARIE, two boxed verses and a chorus with a nod to Bob Dylan, on a yellow legal pad sheet with timing notes at the bottom.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 223 — THE LIGHT OR THE WHITE, picture 1 of 1
223THE LIGHT OR THE WHITE
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line L12: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric for the song THE LIGHT OR THE WHITE (song list 2, track 4 of the 34 albums), one verse in ink beginning 'It's the same faces in the same room only a different night', on a yellow legal pad sheet.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 224 — LIVING NEAR THE COURTHOUSE, picture 1 of 1
224LIVING NEAR THE COURTHOUSE
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line L11: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten, previously unpublished half lyric LIVING NEAR THE COURTHOUSE, about the trouble that comes knocking when the law lives next door, on a loose-leaf sheet.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 230 — Orange is the color of the trees, picture 1 of 1
230Orange is the color of the trees
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S32: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric 'Orange is the color of the trees', for the song TONIGHT'S MOONLIGHT (song list 5, track 4 of the 34 albums), three stanzas in pencil with some lines struck through, on a lined notebook sheet.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 238 — BLESSING IN DISGUISE, picture 1 of 9
238BLESSING IN DISGUISE
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line B10: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's production package for the song BLESSING IN DISGUISE (song list 7, track 1 of the 34 albums): a typed lyric in red, blue and green text, handwritten lyric sheets, production notes and a syllable worksheet, several pages in all.
See the whole card → 9 pictures
Item 265 — A broken mirror lies shattered on the floor, picture 1 of 1
265A broken mirror lies shattered on the floor
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S28: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's illustrated prose poem 'A broken mirror lies shattered on the floor', on how life goes from pure to blemished, handwritten on a lined sheet with drawings of a standing mirror frame, an oval mirror and a cartoon figure.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 266 — Fallen clouds, picture 1 of 1
266Fallen clouds
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line F10: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric for the song FALLEN CLOUDS (song list 4, track 1 of the 34 albums), one verse in blue ink about fallen soldiers of love and war, on a torn lined notebook sheet.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 267 — Right Between the Eyes, picture 1 of 1
267Right Between the Eyes
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line R10: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric for the song RIGHT BETWEEN THE EYES (song list 3, track 12 of the 34 albums), about trading a gun for a camera and shooting a deer only on film, twenty-one lines on a lined sheet, published in Poems By Tom (2007).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 268 — Mary Jane, picture 1 of 1
268Mary Jane
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line M15: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten, previously unpublished half lyric Mary Jane, a love song to marijuana, under a bubble-letter title with a drawn smoking joint on a lined notebook sheet.
See the whole card → 1 picture
297RATED NC-17 · on the adults-only pages
Item 303 — Once I had... All I thought I'd need, picture 1 of 1
303Once I had... All I thought I'd need
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S33: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten short lyric Once I had... All I thought I'd need, which went into the song SOMEWHERE (set list 8, track 12), on a torn half sheet of lined paper with a struck-out first try.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 318 — MUSICAL MEDITATION, picture 1 of 1
318MUSICAL MEDITATION
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line F15: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric MUSICAL MEDITATION, in bubble-letter title on a torn lined sheet with syllable brackets and counts of 10 on each line, published in the 34 albums and 200 Poems Waiting For Music.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 330 — THE PAST, picture 1 of 2
330THE PAST
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line P8: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem THE PAST (be careful who you meet), on a torn lined notebook sheet, published in his poem anthologies.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 331 — I've sat at every bench in this park, picture 1 of 1
331I've sat at every bench in this park
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line I9: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten poem I've sat at every bench in this park ("Both before and after dark / Looking out at an ocean oh so deep"), on a lined notebook page.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 334 — Goodbye my loving wife, picture 1 of 2
334Goodbye my loving wife
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line B12: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN POEMS BY TOM
Tom's handwritten poem Goodbye my loving wife (they're sending me up the river), written on two yellow legal-pad sheets, published in Poems By Tom (2007).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 335 — I live in a world where there are no fist fights, picture 1 of 1
335I live in a world where there are no fist fights
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line I8: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten pencil lyric I live in a world where there are no fist fights (people fight each other with their mind), on a yellow legal-pad sheet, which became the song IN THE POURING RAIN (song list 5, track 3).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 336 — A LITTLE SOMETHING, picture 1 of 1
336A LITTLE SOMETHING
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line A20: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's previously unpublished handwritten poem A LITTLE SOMETHING (Everybody's got something when they got nothing), on a torn loose-leaf sheet.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 337 — I Got Bagged Just Two Years Before My Car, picture 1 of 1
337I Got Bagged Just Two Years Before My Car
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line F12: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten drunk-driving poem I Got Bagged Just Two Years Before My Car, on a torn lined notebook sheet, published in the 34 albums, The November 2024 Collection and Only The Best (2018).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 338 — The Watcher, picture 1 of 1
338The Watcher
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line W13: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten poem The Watcher (I've never seen his face, only looked into his eyes), on a hole-punched lined sheet decorated with drawn eyes, published in Poems By Tom (2007) and the 34 albums.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 339 — A Prayer for Life's Meaning, picture 1 of 1
339A Prayer for Life's Meaning
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line A9: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten black-ink lyric A Prayer for Life's Meaning (the faces of God, for he has not just one), under an outline-letter title on a lined sheet, which became the song PRAYER FOR LIFE'S MEANING (song list 9, track 3).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 342 — The law of the land has not been etched in stone, picture 1 of 1
342The law of the land has not been etched in stone
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line F10: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten ten-line black-ink lyric The law of the land has not been etched in stone, on a loose-leaf sheet, which became the song FALLEN CLOUDS (song list 4, track 1) and is published in Poems By Tom.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 346 — We were never really sure, picture 1 of 1
346We were never really sure
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line N11: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten long poem We were never really sure, on a torn tan sheet, published in his poem anthologies. (best guess - not yet proved)
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 347 — Did anyone get the number of that train, picture 1 of 1
347Did anyone get the number of that train
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S34: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN POEMS BY TOM
Tom's handwritten poem Did anyone get the number of that train (the one that knocked me on my back), on a yellowed lined sheet with a torn edge, published in Poems By Tom (2007).
See the whole card → 1 picture
354RATED R · on the adults-only pages
Item 359 — The Coney Story, picture 1 of 1
359The Coney Story
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line C8: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten story-poem The Coney Story (his mama was a nurse and daddy sold jewels), under an outline-letter title on a loose-leaf sheet.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 363 — With You I'm Ten Feet Tall and the World Seems So Small, picture 1 of 1
363With You I'm Ten Feet Tall and the World Seems So Small
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line W8: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten two-line blue-ink lyric With you I'm ten feet tall and the world seems so small, on a lined notebook sheet, published in Poems By Tom (2007) and the 34 albums.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 370 — SCENE 1, picture 1 of 1
370SCENE 1
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line C7: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric SCENE 1 (The sun is rising / The birds are chirping), ending on the soldiers that died, on a cream spiral notebook page, which became the song COST OF WAR (song list 1, track 4).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 372 — The Time Is Getting Late, picture 1 of 2
372The Time Is Getting Late
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder lines H17 and C28: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric The time is getting late / Your lifetime is passing, on a stained loose-leaf sheet with more writing on the back, which became the song HERE AND NOW (song list 1, track 3).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 375 — I heard your voice again, picture 1 of 4
375I heard your voice again
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line M27: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric I heard your voice again (it nearly brought me to my knees), a full page on loose-leaf, which became the song MELODY OF SORROW (song list 6, track 6).
See the whole card → 4 pictures
Item 378 — I don't read the paper, picture 1 of 1
378I don't read the paper
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line R10: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric I don't read the paper, hell I don't even watch the news, under a rhyme alphabet on a torn loose-leaf sheet, which became the song RIGHT BETWEEN THE EYES (song list 3, track 12).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 382 — Like cats and dogs, picture 1 of 1
382Like cats and dogs
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line C23: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten eight-line lyric Like cats and dogs (we fight nearly every night), on a cream manila sheet, published in Poems By Tom (2007) and the 34 albums.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 384 — When the Angels tried to follow, picture 1 of 1
384When the Angels tried to follow
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line W23: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric When the Angels tried to follow, a story set around the mountain Pico Duarte, on a loose-leaf sheet, which became the song WHERE I AM FROM (song list 6, track 8).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 386 — My personality, picture 1 of 1
386My personality
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line L18: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten blue-ink lyric My personality (I am me so you can love it or leave it), on a lined sheet, which went into the song LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT (set list 11, track 1).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 387 — A Passing Daydream Floated By, picture 1 of 1
387A Passing Daydream Floated By
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S37: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten black-ink lyric A passing daydream floated by, a single eleven-line verse on a spiral-torn notebook sheet, which became the song WHAT WE SHARE (song list 5, track 11).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 388 — The sun comes up, picture 1 of 1
388The sun comes up
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S35: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric The sun comes up / My head goes down, on a torn lined sheet with small doodled shapes, which went into the song SOMETHING IN MY GENES (set list 4, track 7).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 394 — I Only Free My Mind When It's Closing Time, picture 1 of 1
394I Only Free My Mind When It's Closing Time
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line A18: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN POEMS BY TOM
Tom's handwritten poem I only free my mind when it's closing time, on a yellowed, torn spiral notebook sheet, published in Poems By Tom (2007).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 396 — If You Believe in Lies, picture 1 of 1
396If You Believe in Lies
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line T23: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten pencil lyric If you believe in lies / Then your hands are tied, on a torn spiral sheet with a drawn cliff and falling figure down the margin plus a second half-sheet, which went into the song MIDAS TOUCH (set list 7, track 5).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 402 — She's All Mine - You Could Never Be Any Closer, picture 1 of 1
402She's All Mine - You Could Never Be Any Closer
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line N10: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten blue-pen lyric She's all mine - you could never be any closer (even if you're a rock star she'd never buy your poster), on a torn loose-leaf sheet, published in the 34 albums and 200 Poems Waiting For Music.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 403 — I'm So Tired Of Being Bored, picture 1 of 1
403I'm So Tired Of Being Bored
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line T24: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten blue-ink lyric I'm so tired of being bored that I'm restless, on a torn lined sheet, which went into the song PARDON ME (set list 10, track 8).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 405 — She told me to stop but you see she does it too, picture 1 of 1
405She told me to stop but you see she does it too
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line O13: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten black-ink lyric She told me to stop but you see she does it too, on a torn lined notebook page, published in his poem anthologies.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 407 — Burning the candle at both ends, picture 1 of 1
407Burning the candle at both ends
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line B23: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN POEMS BY TOM
Tom's handwritten poem Burning the candle at both ends (usually causes a fire), three quatrains on a loose-leaf sheet, published in his poem anthologies and Poems By Tom.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 408 — You Planted in My Brain, picture 1 of 1
408You Planted in My Brain
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line C22: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric You planted in my brain your seeds of pain, on a torn lined notebook sheet, published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 410 — Whatever you do (You better make sure it counts), picture 1 of 2
410Whatever you do (You better make sure it counts)
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line N12: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN POEMS BY TOM
Tom's handwritten poem Whatever you do / You better make sure it counts (it's good to go down swinging), written on light yellow folder paper with a second page carrying the poem A life based on the movies under the boxed title Not suitable for children, published in Poems By Tom (2007).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 416 — Here & Now, picture 1 of 1
416Here & Now
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line H17: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric Here & Now (The time is getting late / Your lifetime is passing), titled in script on a loose-leaf sheet, the song HERE AND NOW (song list 1, track 3).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 417 — Love it or leave it, picture 1 of 1
417Love it or leave it
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line L18: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric Love it or leave it (I am me so you can love it or leave it), on a torn loose-leaf sheet, the song LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT (set list 11, track 1), published in Poems By Tom (2007).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 419 — Get outta my house, picture 1 of 1
419Get outta my house
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line G8: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten poem Get outta my house, about a marriage that came unhitched like a golden carriage whose horses ran away, on a torn sheet of lined notebook paper, published in Poems By Tom and 200 Poems Waiting For Music.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 420 — She said if it's meant to be, picture 1 of 1
420She said if it's meant to be
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line F18: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten black-ink lyric opening She said if it's meant to be then love will find a way, about a love that ended before it barely started, on a torn sheet of lined notebook paper, published in his poem anthologies.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 421 — Here & Now, picture 1 of 1
421Here & Now
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line M28: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten untitled poem Let me trade my eyes for yours, whose opening lines became the last verse of the song TRIANGLE (set list 16, track 4), on a torn sheet of lined notebook paper with crossed-out lines.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 429 — Thousand miles above, picture 1 of 1
429Thousand miles above
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line T20: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem Thousand miles above (When dreaming of your eyes I stare at the stars), an early draft of his love poem A THOUSAND MILES ABOVE (printed, longer and re-worded, in Tom's Anthology of September 18, 2011, in the July 25, 2012 anthology and in Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013)), on a torn spiral-edge sheet of lined notebook paper.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 433 — What was that?, picture 1 of 1
433What was that?
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line C18: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN POEMS BY TOM
Tom's handwritten sheet headed What was that?, in blue pen finished in pencil on a spiral-torn lined sheet: the opening verse of Closer To God (Here I sit by the side of the ocean), published in Poems By Tom, and the start of What Was That (I am awakened from my sleep).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 497 — FENCES, picture 1 of 4
497FENCES
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line F15: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten blue-ink lyric FENCES (I see more fences springing up everyday), which became the song FENCES (set list 3, track 8), written across three lined sheets including I see power serving power and I challenge you to defend your beliefs.
See the whole card → 4 pictures
Item 514 — have you ever bought, picture 1 of 5
514have you ever bought
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line T18: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten line have you ever bought a picture just because you liked the frame?, in brown ink on a small blue index card, with a plain sheet beginning It's now been proven, published in 200 Poems Waiting For Music.
See the whole card → 5 pictures
Item 519 — Face yourself before you face the sea, picture 1 of 3
519Face yourself before you face the sea
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line G14: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric Face yourself before you face the sea (might be the best piece of advice anyone has ever given me), which became the song AS I PLAY (song list 3, track 4), on torn loose-leaf, with a sheet titled The Golden Rule in bubble letters.
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 520 — Romans 13 2, picture 1 of 3
520Romans 13 2
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line G15: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lines What do I do if not this? What do I share if not this gift? Romans thirteen, two, on a legal-pad sheet, with a second sheet titled GAUGING TIME in bubble letters, published in the 34 albums.
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 521 — Reincarnation, picture 1 of 3
521Reincarnation
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line R7: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem Reincarnation on a torn lined sheet, with a folded yellow note of provocative history lines beginning Columbus was a jerk, in ink and pencil, published in his poem anthologies.
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 522 — Feel Free to Fall in Love With My Art, picture 1 of 4
522Feel Free to Fall in Love With My Art
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line M14: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric I've heard of resurrections but I never believed it (Back for Revenge... You Never Know), on a legal sheet with fainter pencil lines showing from the back, published in the 34 albums as Feel Free to Fall in Love With My Art.
See the whole card → 4 pictures
Item 524 — I'm that diamond in the rough, picture 1 of 3
524I'm that diamond in the rough
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line N17: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric I'm that diamond in the rough and a needle in the haystack, which went into the song TRENDING (song list 3, track 8), on a spiral-bound sheet, with a second sheet titled Not Easy Finding in bubble letters.
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 545 — After you're dragged by a car, picture 1 of 2
545After you're dragged by a car
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line B19: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem After you're dragged by a car you won't make it very far, a string of hard-luck sayings, on a torn lined sheet, published in Shorter Lyrics.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 546 — MAN IS MAN, picture 1 of 2
546MAN IS MAN
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line M22: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten black-ink poem MAN IS MAN, titled in block letters, looking back at THE OLD DAYS when every scent was new, on lined notebook paper, published in his poem anthologies.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 549 — REALITY, picture 1 of 1
549REALITY
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line R13: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem REALITY (Reality check - time to check your head again), with an outlined title and a tick mark, in black and blue ink on lined notebook paper, published in his poem anthologies.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 554 — I change the world, picture 1 of 2
554I change the world
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line M17: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten blue-ink poem I change the world one person at a time, tied to the song FRESCO (song list 5, track 5), on a sheet with typed verses on the back.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 556 — We know the search is never easy, picture 1 of 4
556We know the search is never easy
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line T32: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN POEMS BY TOM
Tom's handwritten black-ink poem We know the search is never easy (as you've found the bottom of your drink), on numbered loose-leaf pages 2 and 4 with crumpled edges, published in Poems By Tom.
See the whole card → 4 pictures
Item 558 — BLUE SKIES, picture 1 of 2
558BLUE SKIES
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line B16: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem BLUE SKIES, in black ink on lined notebook paper under an outlined title, a warning about a phase turning into a habit that ends behind bars, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 559 — SLAM the Door, picture 1 of 2
559SLAM the Door
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S18: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short lyric SLAM THE DOOR, twelve lines on a single sheet of lined notebook paper under an outlined title, opening 'I always keep my promises / Except the ones I make to myself', published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 566 — Another monday morning, picture 1 of 1
566Another monday morning
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line B26: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem ANOTHER MONDAY MORNING, in green ink on lined notebook paper with a block of lines struck out, about dragging through the week after a sleepless Sunday night, an early draft of BURIED TREASURE, published in Tom's Anthology (Sept 2011) and Shorter Lyrics (2013); its first 4 lines are also a stanza of LONELY CLOUDS.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 570 — Those who use trickery, picture 1 of 2
570Those who use trickery
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S37: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem THOSE WHO USE TRICKERY, on a torn, aged piece of brown paper with its top line torn away, about the few who get by on deceit without ever being defeated, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 571 — It's Now 1:10 and I Let It Happen Again, picture 1 of 2
571It's Now 1:10 and I Let It Happen Again
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line O14: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem IT'S NOW 1:10 AND I LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN, in small blue writing on a sheet of lined notebook paper with frayed edges and a folded corner, a late-night reckoning published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 576 — Me & Frankie, picture 1 of 2
576Me & Frankie
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line T32: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN POEMS BY TOM
Tom's handwritten poem ME & FRANKIE, in blue ink on lined loose-leaf with his side notes '(Wading in the water) (Two of a kind) (Two pair)', about two best friends and one special girl, published in Poems By Tom (2007).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 577 — Not that long ago there was this little man and he'd talk, picture 1 of 2
577Not that long ago there was this little man and he'd talk
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line R8: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric NOT THAT LONG AGO THERE WAS THIS LITTLE MAN AND HE'D TALK, written on lined notebook paper, about a voice in his ear promising girls and parties, published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 598 — STEADY CALM, picture 1 of 3
598STEADY CALM
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S8: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric STEADY CALM by Tom Jensen, with the first title PROCESS crossed out, on two three-hole-punched lined legal sheets, about the struggle for survival and the many against the few, from his 34 albums and published in The November 2024 Collection (2024).
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 625 — I'm looking for something new, picture 1 of 2
625I'm looking for something new
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S32: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten song lyric I'M LOOKING FOR SOMETHING NEW, in black ink on lined legal-style paper, about seeking change and hiding from his demons, part of TONIGHT'S MOONLIGHT (song list 5, track 4) in his 34 albums.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 645 — Sure, all the colors of the rainbow are, picture 1 of 1
645Sure, all the colors of the rainbow are
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line M22: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric SURE, ALL THE COLORS OF THE RAINBOW ARE, in black ink on a sheet torn from a spiral notebook with two passages circled in blue pen, about the colors of the rainbow within her eyes and what you would see inside his soul - lines of the song THICK SKIN (set list 11, track 7) in his 34 albums, published in The November 2024 Collection (2024).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 669 — There once was a girl and a guy and me, picture 1 of 2
669There once was a girl and a guy and me
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line T13: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short lyric THERE ONCE WAS A GIRL AND A GUY AND ME, on lined notebook paper, a love triangle told in rhyme, published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 671 — What the hell were you thinking when you said goodbye?, picture 1 of 2
671What the hell were you thinking when you said goodbye?
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line T9: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short lyric, in blue ink on a three-hole-punched sheet of ruled notebook paper, headed by his rhyme line 'Say okay day away lay may pay' and asking 'What the hell were you thinking when you said goodbye?', published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 672 — I stepped out for a breath of fresh air, picture 1 of 2
672I stepped out for a breath of fresh air
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S6: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem I STEPPED OUT FOR A BREATH OF FRESH AIR, in faint pencil on lined loose-leaf, about sitting on his stairs with a smoke wondering why life can't be as simple as the birds, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 679 — I Sit And Watch The Snow, picture 1 of 2
679I Sit And Watch The Snow
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line I17: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten six-line poem I SIT AND WATCH THE SNOW, on a torn spiral-edged sheet of lined notebook paper above a large abstract ink scribble, about feeling insignificant under the midnight glow, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 683 — The Big Day Is Coming, picture 1 of 2
683The Big Day Is Coming
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line B28: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten twelve-line lyric THE BIG DAY IS COMING, on a yellowed three-hole-punched sheet of lined loose-leaf torn at the top, a birthday song about the one day a year that bears your name, published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 685 — Drifting..., picture 1 of 2
685Drifting...
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line G8: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten cursive lyric DRIFTING..., on lined loose-leaf, about shifting thoughts and new perceptions as the cloud lifts, part of the song ANOTHER QUARTER (set list 20, track 13) in his 34 albums.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 692 — ON ANOTHER PLANE, picture 1 of 2
692ON ANOTHER PLANE
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line O8: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem ON ANOTHER PLANE, on a sheet of lined loose-leaf with marker strokes, about sitting on his steps watching a plane that later crashes and realizing it could have been him, published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 706 — I heard alot of love songs where the girl got away, picture 1 of 1
706I heard alot of love songs where the girl got away
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line M8: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem I HEARD ALOT OF LOVE SONGS WHERE THE GIRL GOT AWAY, seven lines in neat cursive on a full sheet of lined notebook paper, from his early yellow binder years (ages 18 to 23) and published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 707 — Blood stains the ground as I look around, picture 1 of 2
707Blood stains the ground as I look around
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line M8: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short lyric BLOOD STAINS THE GROUND AS I LOOK AROUND, in black cursive on a single sheet of lined paper, from his early yellow binder years (ages 18 to 23) and published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 708 — She Came To Me Late One Night, picture 1 of 3
708She Came To Me Late One Night
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line D22: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN POEMS BY TOM
Tom's handwritten poem SHE CAME TO ME LATE ONE NIGHT, written on the back of a printed handout with extra lines scrawled sideways in the margins ("Started drinking to drown my sorrows", "Rat on a rusty wheel"), published in his first book Poems By Tom (2007).
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 709 — When you're feelin' confused and you gotta get away, picture 1 of 2
709When you're feelin' confused and you gotta get away
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line T12: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten full poem WHEN YOU'RE FEELIN' CONFUSED AND YOU GOTTA GET AWAY, in blue ink on three-hole lined notebook paper, from his early yellow binder years (ages 18 to 23).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 710 — I got work to do but I'll put it off again., picture 1 of 2
710I got work to do but I'll put it off again.
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line B7: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten full poem I GOT WORK TO DO BUT I'LL PUT IT OFF AGAIN, about being trapped in a room with many doors, in black ink on three-hole lined paper with the opening line struck through, published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 711 — Drug Dog... sniff, sniff... bark, bark..., picture 1 of 1
711Drug Dog... sniff, sniff... bark, bark...
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line D11: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten, never-published short poem DRUG DOG... SNIFF, SNIFF... BARK, BARK..., in black ink on a sheet of lined notebook paper, from his early yellow binder years (ages 18 to 23).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 721 — Well I don't view the world through rose-tinted spectacles, picture 1 of 2
721Well I don't view the world through rose-tinted spectacles
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line H13: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem WELL I DON'T VIEW THE WORLD THROUGH ROSE-TINTED SPECTACLES, twelve lines in blue cursive on a plain white sheet ending with "calling a truce", from his early yellow binder years (ages 18 to 23).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 722 — If you keep on talking, picture 1 of 2
722If you keep on talking
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line H13: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem IF YOU KEEP ON TALKING ("Then I'll just keep on walking"), fourteen lines in black ink on a sheet torn from a spiral pad, from his early yellow binder years (ages 18 to 23).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 723 — Seems like the darkest time of my life, picture 1 of 1
723Seems like the darkest time of my life
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line O12: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten full poem SEEMS LIKE THE DARKEST TIME OF MY LIFE on a sheet of lined notebook paper with a torn, frayed edge, showing his reworking of the opening line with a word crossed out and "most peaceful" written in.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 724 — WASTED TIME, picture 1 of 1
724WASTED TIME
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line H13: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem WASTED TIME, ten lines about depression and feeling life has passed you by, in dark ink under a block-letter title on a sheet of lined notebook paper with a perforated edge, published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 725 — HIT THE ROAD, picture 1 of 1
725HIT THE ROAD
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line H14: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten pencil poem HIT THE ROAD ("You've heard about who I'm talking about"), on a sheet of white paper, from his early yellow binder years (ages 18 to 23) and published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 731 — Something there was going on, picture 1 of 2
731Something there was going on
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line W31: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten full poem SOMETHING THERE WAS GOING ON ("But you missed it by a mile") on an aged, stained sheet of ruled notebook paper, with his pencil notes on daily protein and vitamin C on the other side, published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 733 — Corona's at the beach with no women at my side, picture 1 of 2
733Corona's at the beach with no women at my side
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line C10: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten short lyric CORONA'S AT THE BEACH WITH NO WOMEN AT MY SIDE, on a sheet of lined notebook paper torn along the left edge; the lyric is in the 34 Albums and in Only The Best (2018).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 736 — COLORS, picture 1 of 2
736COLORS
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line C17: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten, never-published full poem COLORS ("It's black and white / That you're black and blue"), under a multicolored bubble-letter title on a sheet of lined notebook paper with a faint coffee stain, from his early yellow binder years (ages 18 to 23).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 737 — ALL OR NOTHING, picture 1 of 2
737ALL OR NOTHING
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line A14: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten, never-published lyric ALL OR NOTHING ("Well I just turned another corner"), in pencil on a single sheet of lined notebook paper, from his early yellow binder years (ages 18 to 23).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 739 — I just melted in your eyes, picture 1 of 2
739I just melted in your eyes
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line F17: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short love lyric I JUST MELTED IN YOUR EYES ("Found something pure / From the sickness of lies"), in small black writing on lined paper, published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 741 — Second rate, Second best, picture 1 of 2
741Second rate, Second best
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line T21: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten love lyric SECOND RATE, SECOND BEST ("None's ever passed the test / Until I studied you"), on a single sheet of lined notebook paper, published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 743 — Well, you've been climbing the ladder, picture 1 of 2
743Well, you've been climbing the ladder
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S45: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten full poem WELL, YOU'VE BEEN CLIMBING THE LADDER, in ink cursive on a sheet of lined notebook paper yellowed along the right edge, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 744 — COVERINGS, picture 1 of 2
744COVERINGS
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line C30: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten, never-published poem COVERINGS ("I have many hats / A fisherman's hat yet I don't fish"), in pencil under an outlined title on lined paper torn from a spiral notebook, from his early yellow binder years (ages 18 to 23). (best guess - not yet proved)
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 746 — I threw a pie at bill gates during the convention, picture 1 of 2
746I threw a pie at bill gates during the convention
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line T10: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten comic poem I THREW A PIE AT BILL GATES DURING THE CONVENTION, on lined loose-leaf paper marked 21 at the top right, from his early yellow binder years (ages 18 to 23) and published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 749 — When you feel safe here there's no need to ask of your last residence, picture 1 of 2
749When you feel safe here there's no need to ask of your last residence
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line F21: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten pencil poem WHEN YOU FEEL SAFE HERE, THERE'S NO NEED TO ASK OF YOUR LAST RESIDENCE, on a torn and worn sheet of lined notebook paper with scribbles, published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 752 — COVERINGS, picture 1 of 2
752COVERINGS
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line C30: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten cursive version of his never-published poem COVERINGS ("I have many hats"), on a ragged-edged sheet of lined notebook paper with the vowels and consonants written across the top and an outlined title.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 753 — Welcome to my new life, picture 1 of 2
753Welcome to my new life
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S45: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten full poem WELCOME TO MY NEW LIFE ("I'll give you the guided tour"), a first verse in blue ink and a second in dark ink on a stained sheet of lined notebook paper, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 756 — My Senses Are Sharp As A Tack, picture 1 of 3
756My Senses Are Sharp As A Tack
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line I10: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric MY SENSES ARE SHARP AS A TACK, written on the back of a torn pink Spanish-language flyer about tobacco, the words that became the song INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (set list 10, track 11, in the 34 Albums).
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 762 — This is the house of the Lord, please walk in, picture 1 of 2
762This is the house of the Lord, please walk in
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line H10: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten blue-ink lyric beginning "This is the house of the Lord, please walk in", under a full alphabet written across the top of a sheet of lined loose-leaf with a note jotted sideways in the margin, published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 763 — You don't know what it's like, picture 1 of 2
763You don't know what it's like
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line T17: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten full poem YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE ("To work for a living"), in red ink on a sheet of lined paper, from his early yellow binder years (ages 18 to 23).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 764 — Legs spread wide open muscle contractions, picture 1 of 2
764Legs spread wide open muscle contractions
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line R7: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem LEGS SPREAD WIDE OPEN MUSCLE CONTRACTIONS, a birth told from the newborn's side, in small black writing on lined notebook paper, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 765 — The Gambler, picture 1 of 2
765The Gambler
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line F12: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten full poem THE GAMBLER ("All the cards fell off the table"), under a bubble-letter title on a sheet of lined loose-leaf, from his early yellow binder years (ages 18 to 23).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 767 — Padded Room, picture 1 of 2
767Padded Room
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line P14: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem PADDED ROOM ("In here, the only thing I look forward to is smoking"), written under a bubble-letter title on lined notebook paper, published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 768 — The Middle isn't forming, picture 1 of 2
768The Middle isn't forming
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line M15: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short lyric THE MIDDLE ISN'T FORMING ("Anything that isn't habit forming is just a waste of time"), in black ink under a decorated title band on a torn-edge sheet of lined notebook paper, published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 769 — DEATH'S COLD EYES, picture 1 of 2
769DEATH'S COLD EYES
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line D12: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten six-line lyric DEATH'S COLD EYES ("I lay on the ground as I feel death's cold eyes"), in black ink on lined loose-leaf, the words that became the song WORTH THE WAIT (song list 5, track 2, in the 34 Albums).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 770 — RAIN FALLING, picture 1 of 2
770RAIN FALLING
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line R14: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem RAIN FALLING ("Don't let it bring you down"), under a bubble-letter title on a single sheet of lined notebook paper, from his early yellow binder years (ages 18 to 23).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 771 — ESCAPING THE DEMONS, picture 1 of 1
771ESCAPING THE DEMONS
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line E7: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem ESCAPING THE DEMONS ("Right is Left / Left is right"), in black ink under an outline-letter title on lined notebook paper, published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 775 — A DAY AT A TIME, picture 1 of 2
775A DAY AT A TIME
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line D16: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short lyric A DAY AT A TIME ("I lose my mind / A day at a time"), with the title in pencil and the words in purple ink on a sheet of lined loose-leaf with a folded corner; the lyric is in the 34 Albums.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 776 — I do what I do / But at least I do it well, picture 1 of 2
776I do what I do / But at least I do it well
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line E6: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten full poem I DO WHAT I DO / BUT AT LEAST I DO IT WELL ("And that's a fact") on yellow legal pad paper, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 777 — The Weight Has Been Lifted, picture 1 of 2
777The Weight Has Been Lifted
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line T15: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric THE WEIGHT HAS BEEN LIFTED ("That comes with being gifted"), in black ink on lined notebook paper with a large piece torn away, and a sideways margin note reading "You can see a million miles tonight but you can't get very far".
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 779 — When the yellow sun is glowing, way way up high, picture 1 of 2
779When the yellow sun is glowing, way way up high
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line O11: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric WHEN THE YELLOW SUN IS GLOWING, WAY WAY UP HIGH ("You know love is inside you somewhere"), on three-hole lined notebook paper, the words that became the song SOMEWHERE (set list 8, track 12, in the 34 Albums).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 785 — If you wanna make the world better, picture 1 of 2
785If you wanna make the world better
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line F8: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short lyric IF YOU WANNA MAKE THE WORLD BETTER ("Please send me some cheddar"), a tongue-in-cheek plea for money in black ink on lined loose-leaf with the first line struck through, published in 200 Poems Waiting For Music (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 788 — I could live for you, picture 1 of 1
788I could live for you
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line I11: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten eight-line pencil lyric I COULD LIVE FOR YOU ("I would die for you / But I'll cry for you"), on a sheet torn from a spiral notebook; the lyric is in the 34 Albums and his first book Poems By Tom (2007).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 792 — Another monday morning, picture 1 of 1
792Another monday morning
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line B26: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric ANOTHER MONDAY MORNING ("Following a sleepless sunday night"), in black ink on a sheet torn from a spiral notebook, published in 200 Poems Waiting For Music (2013).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 795 — With this dark sky foreshadowing impending doom, picture 1 of 1
795With this dark sky foreshadowing impending doom
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line L19: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric WITH THIS DARK SKY FORESHADOWING IMPENDING DOOM, in black ink on lined notebook paper with his syllable counts in the margin; the lyric is in the 34 Albums and 200 Poems Waiting For Music (2013).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 809 — They say these are the best years of my life, picture 1 of 2
809They say these are the best years of my life
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line L20: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short lyric THEY SAY THESE ARE THE BEST YEARS OF MY LIFE, written large on a sheet from a business letterhead notepad; the two opening lines of the poem LAND OF COAL, in Tom's Anthology (September 2011 and July 2012) and the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013); not in the 34 Albums.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 810 — I make my own gods and, picture 1 of 1
810I make my own gods and
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line F11: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric I MAKE MY OWN GODS AND WORSHIP MY OWN IDOLS, in blue ink on a small top-bound notepad sheet, from his early yellow binder years (ages 18 to 23) and published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 811 — HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME, picture 1 of 2
811HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line H9: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME ("Another candle Another year / 365 more days that have disappeared"), a lonely birthday song written across two small spiral-pad slips; the lyric is in the 34 Albums and 200 Poems Waiting For Music (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 813 — As old as this earth is, picture 1 of 2
813As old as this earth is
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S41: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric AS OLD AS THIS EARTH IS ("Why do you even try to be original?"), on a small torn spiral notebook sheet, published in 200 Poems Waiting For Music (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 817 — Fly high as a gull, picture 1 of 1
817Fly high as a gull
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line W28: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten pencil lyric FLY HIGH AS A GULL ("While you swim like a fish"), on a small top-bound notepad sheet, from his early yellow binder years (ages 18 to 23).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 819 — Fire is the cleanser, picture 1 of 1
819Fire is the cleanser
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line W28: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten pencil short poem FIRE IS THE CLEANSER ("Except when on a bender"), on a torn sheet from a small top-spiral notepad, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 828 — After looking so long, picture 1 of 2
828After looking so long
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S43: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short lyric AFTER LOOKING SO LONG ("for what men seek / I have staked my flag"), ending "The truth I speak", on a small unlined white slip; the lyric is in the 34 Albums.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 840 — The first step's a doozy as you walk along the cliff, picture 1 of 1
840The first step's a doozy as you walk along the cliff
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line W24: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten full poem beginning "The first step's a doozy as you walk along the cliff," about a mind following a path shaped like a question, on a half sheet of lined notebook paper; published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013) and Brian Rainstorm: Poetry Not Dead (2014).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 881 — So you think you've felt pain?, picture 1 of 2
881So you think you've felt pain?
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line L15: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten poem "So you think you've felt pain? Why don't you try changing your shoes?" about climbing mountains and falling, with a crossed-out line and margin edits, on a sheet of lined spiral notebook paper; a lyric from the 34 Albums, published in 180 Good Poems (2012) and the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 883 — When you're lost in the cold and don't know which way to turn, picture 1 of 1
883When you're lost in the cold and don't know which way to turn
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line W8: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten love poem "When you're lost in the cold and don't know which way to turn, / Think of my heart and feel my love burn," with "Monday 11:00 AM" noted below, on a three-hole-punched sheet of lined notebook paper; a lyric from the 34 Albums, published in 200 Poems Waiting For Music (2013), 180 Good Poems (2012) and A Lifetime Of Rhyme (2020).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 885 — Who is your hero? Would I know him if I'd seen him around?, picture 1 of 1
885Who is your hero? Would I know him if I'd seen him around?
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line W6: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten line "Who is your hero? Would I know him if I'd seen him around?" on a sheet of lined notebook paper, the opening of a full poem published in 200 Poems Waiting For Music (2013) and the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 890 — A black hand shadows the land, picture 1 of 1
890A black hand shadows the land
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line A10: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem "A black hand shadows the land / This is not how it was planned," about evil that can hide in leather or lace, in faint writing on a sheet of lined notebook paper; published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013) and Shorter Lyrics (2013).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 891 — I'm losing my mind just like I'm losing my hair, picture 1 of 2
891I'm losing my mind just like I'm losing my hair
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line L6: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten two-line poem "I'm losing my mind just like I'm losing my hair / I've thought so much about it that I'm beginning not to care," written on a sheet of lined loose-leaf paper; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 894 — Laying in bed staring at the ceiling, picture 1 of 1
894Laying in bed staring at the ceiling
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S9: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem "Laying in bed staring at the ceiling / I hear the music in my mind," about a day best spent in bed, in blue ink on a sheet of lined loose-leaf paper; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 895 — Summer breeze, such a tease, picture 1 of 2
895Summer breeze, such a tease
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S8: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem "Summer breeze, such a tease / when it blows in the middle of winter," about burning books in the fireplace to keep warm, in blue ink on a three-hole-punched sheet of lined notebook paper; published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013) and Tom's Anthology.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 903 — Life is one big competition, picture 1 of 2
903Life is one big competition
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line O6: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem "Life is one big competition, when's it gonna stop?" with a pencilled cloud of numbers and the slanted margin line "But when you told me you loved me were you wearing a mask," on a sheet of lined notebook paper; published in Tom's Anthology (2011).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 918 — She knew what she was doing, picture 1 of 2
918She knew what she was doing
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S21: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem "She knew what she was doing," ending "That woman done me wrong," on a smudged sheet of lined loose-leaf; published in 180 Good Poems (2012), 200 Poems Waiting For Music (2013) and A Lifetime Of Rhyme (2020).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 959 — When you look at me, picture 1 of 2
959When you look at me
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line W7: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem "When you look at me and think to yourself that I should act my age... I wonder who ever let you out of your cage," under the alphabet written along the top of a sheet of lined loose-leaf; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013) and Brian Rainstorm: Poetry Not Dead (2014).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 962 — Everybody tells me I should go to church, picture 1 of 2
962Everybody tells me I should go to church
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S15: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem "Everybody tells me I should go to church / to find a girl," on a sheet of lined notebook paper; published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013) and Tom's Anthology.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 977 — I have smoked so many cigarettes, picture 1 of 2
977I have smoked so many cigarettes
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line O11: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem I HAVE SMOKED SO MANY CIGARETTES on three-hole lined notebook paper, a dark look at smoking to kill time while searching for answers; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013) and written when Tom was between 18 and 23.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 978 — That man was just like me but you must have saw him first, picture 1 of 2
978That man was just like me but you must have saw him first
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line M10: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten two-line poem THAT MAN WAS JUST LIKE ME BUT YOU MUST HAVE SAW HIM FIRST on an orange three-hole sheet, about losing a love by just a minute; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013) and written when Tom was between 18 and 23.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 979 — Deep thoughts, mixed emotions, picture 1 of 2
979Deep thoughts, mixed emotions
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line H8: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's short poem DEEP THOUGHTS, MIXED EMOTIONS, handwritten in black cursive on lined white paper, about seeing only himself in the mirror behind a door he has locked; published in Tom's Anthology (2011) and written when Tom was between 18 and 23.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 980 — Nobody really knows, picture 1 of 1
980Nobody really knows
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line W28: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's two-verse short poem NOBODY REALLY KNOWS, handwritten in blue ink on a torn-edged sheet of lined notebook paper, on where feelings go and where faith lies; published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013) and written when Tom was between 18 and 23.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 981 — Don't look back, picture 1 of 2
981Don't look back
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line E6: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten three-line poem DON'T LOOK BACK on a torn sheet of lined loose-leaf - grab your bags and pack; published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013) and written when Tom was between 18 and 23.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 983 — John's hitting the crack pipe, picture 1 of 2
983John's hitting the crack pipe
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line G10: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten two-line poem JOHN'S HITTING THE CRACK PIPE on a single sheet of three-hole lined notebook paper - while John hits the pipe, Tom hits the hay; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013) and written when Tom was between 18 and 23.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 1004 — I call him dad but we don't have the same last name, picture 1 of 2
1004I call him dad but we don't have the same last name
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line I6: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem I CALL HIM DAD BUT WE DON'T HAVE THE SAME LAST NAME on three-hole lined paper with small corrections written above the lines, about a father who is not his by blood; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013) and written when Tom was between 18 and 23.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 1022 — Sunrise, picture 1 of 2
1022Sunrise
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S11: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem SUNRISE on lined notebook paper, about stopping at a red light after a long night and finding a heart full of love in someone's eyes; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013) and written when Tom was between 18 and 23.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 1026 — Now's the time to get in line, picture 1 of 2
1026Now's the time to get in line
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line T14: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem NOW'S THE TIME TO GET IN LINE in black ink on three-hole lined paper under a faint heading take a seat, urging you to jump on board before the bus runs out of gas; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013) and written when Tom was between 18 and 23.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 1051 — Nothing But trouble, picture 1 of 1
1051Nothing But trouble
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line N7: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem NOTHING BUT TROUBLE on lined white paper - pop your pills or lick your dollar bills, either way trouble will follow you; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013) and written when Tom was between 18 and 23.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 1058 — When you're not together, picture 1 of 2
1058When you're not together
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line T19: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's short poem WHEN YOU'RE NOT TOGETHER, handwritten in purple ink on lined notebook paper, a string of breakup couplets ending with no more need to wear make up; published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013) and written when Tom was between 18 and 23.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 1061 — Soulmates lost we no longer morn, picture 1 of 2
1061Soulmates lost we no longer morn
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S12: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten ten-line poem SOULMATES LOST WE NO LONGER MORN on lined notebook paper, about a spirit reborn, lost in the fog and blinded by the sun; in the 34 Albums, published in Shorter Lyrics (2013), and written when Tom was between 18 and 23.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 1062 — I am not a macho man, picture 1 of 2
1062I am not a macho man
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line M21: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten comic poem I AM NOT A MACHO MAN in ink on a torn-edged sheet of lined notebook paper - he writes poetry and hangs around with women, but he is still handy round the house; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013) and written when Tom was between 18 and 23.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 1075 — Ending, picture 1 of 5
1075Ending
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S44: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's working pages for the song STILL THINKING OF YOU TONIGHT (song list 5, track 10) in the 34 Albums - four pad pages in green and red ink with his lyric for the ending and his own production notes on chord changes, harmonies, key changes and timings.
See the whole card → 5 pictures
no picture on the card yet
1099Patty
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line T13: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem PATTY in pencil on a sheet of lined loose-leaf, about a two-year love, a love triangle, and skipping town in the middle of the night.
See the whole card →
no picture on the card yet
1103Neil Young is gettin' old!
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line N18: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem NEIL YOUNG IS GETTIN' OLD! in cursive on a spiral-torn sheet with the title in bubble letters, about getting C's in religion class because he taught himself to question.
See the whole card →
Item 1234 — THE MAN IN THE SKY, picture 1 of 1
1234THE MAN IN THE SKY
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line M14: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
A printed page carrying Tom's typed lyric THE MAN IN THE SKY - the man who blocks out the sun - with his own large pen handwriting of new lines, Begging Pleading, Running Screaming, across the rest of the sheet; written when Tom was between 18 and 23 and never before published.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 1601 — Soulmates lost we no longer morn, picture 1 of 2
1601Soulmates lost we no longer morn
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line S12: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's poem SOULMATES LOST WE NO LONGER MORN, about a spirit reborn on a drive with someone who makes the troubles disappear, handwritten sideways on lined notebook paper with a handwritten letter signed Love Tom and a sun and moon face drawing, kept with a printed low-poly style portrait of a bald man's face; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013) and Tom's Anthology (2011 and 2012).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 1885 — BACHELOR OF ARTS HISTORY APPLIED HISTORY CONCENTRATION PUBLIC HISTORY OPTION, picture 1 of 3
1885BACHELOR OF ARTS HISTORY APPLIED HISTORY CONCENTRATION PUBLIC HISTORY OPTION
about 2000-2002 (age 22 to 23) BEST GUESS
SCHOOL AND GROWING-UP KEEPSAKES
Tom's Salem State College degree worksheet for a Bachelor of Arts in History (public history option), with his grades filled in by hand and notes like ABOVE 200!, kept with his 2001 printed transcript showing a 3.58 average.
the card says: made at age 22 or 23
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 1952 — RUMORS FROM HEAVEN, picture 1 of 4
1952RUMORS FROM HEAVEN
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line R18: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Printed pages of Tom's poem RUMORS FROM HEAVEN, marked Revised by hand in red - an imagined rock and roll heaven full of late music legends - with a printed cast of characters page naming the musicians it mentions; sung as RUMOURS FROM HEAVEN (set list 21, track 11) and first published in Poems By Tom (2007).
See the whole card → 4 pictures
Item 1980 — Another one hit wonder?, picture 1 of 2
1980Another one hit wonder?
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line A7: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
A printed copy, two pages, of Tom's early poem Another one hit wonder?, a jab at shallow pop bands written after hearing one on the radio, from his early binder.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 1983 — Fate Has Befallen Me, picture 1 of 1
1983Fate Has Befallen Me
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line F10: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
ESSAYS AND OTHER WRITINGS (NOT LYRICS)
A typed college course exercise sheet by Tom reading the symbols in a picture - the leaves, the horizon, the watch, the hourglass, the castle - with one verse circled, linked to his early poem Fate Has Befallen Me.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 1988 — Hidden Evils, picture 1 of 1
1988Hidden Evils
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line H7: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
A printed copy of Tom's poem Hidden Evils, marked Poem 1, a series of everyday scenes of hidden suffering - a crying teen, a single mother, a child raised on hate - with a note on its rhyme scheme; sung as HIDDEN EVILS (set list 18, track 7).
See the whole card → 1 picture
1999one piece kept private
Item 2001 — THANKS DAD NEW, picture 1 of 4
2001THANKS DAD NEW
about 2000-2002 (age 21 to 23) - yellow binder line T17: written in the binder after it began (about summer 2000) and by its 481-poem count of 5 April 2002 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
A folded off-white sheet with Tom's handwritten half-finished poem headed THANKS DAD NEW, a jab at a rich kid whose daddy's got a cottage on a lake, with the margin line feel a wintery chill starting, kept with a printout of a Bob Dylan lyric he was studying.
See the whole card → 4 pictures
Item 1893 — Dear [name kept private], picture 1 of 1
1893Dear [name kept private]
about 2000-2003 (age 21 to 25) BEST GUESS
ESSAYS AND OTHER WRITINGS (NOT LYRICS)
Tom's typed letter DEAR [name kept private], a poet's goodbye telling her she stood for beauty, purity and kindness in his life, on a single sheet.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 1996 — DODGE STREET BAR & GRILL APRIL 2002 MUSIC SCHEDULE, picture 1 of 3
1996DODGE STREET BAR & GRILL APRIL 2002 MUSIC SCHEDULE
about 2001-2002 (age 23) BEST GUESS
NOTES, PLANS AND BUSINESS PAPERS
A printed April 2002 live music schedule from a Salem, Massachusetts bar and grill, kept with a sheet on which Tom wrote a verse beginning My life is filled with numbers and angles.
the card says: made at age 23
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 2003 — DODGE STREET BAR & GRILL APRIL 2002 MUSIC SCHEDULE, picture 1 of 3
2003DODGE STREET BAR & GRILL APRIL 2002 MUSIC SCHEDULE
about 2001-2002 (age 23) BEST GUESS
LETTERS, FLYERS, PRINTOUTS AND RECORDS
A printed April 2002 live music schedule from a Salem, Massachusetts bar and grill, turned over by Tom and used for a handwritten lyric beginning Been there before.
the card says: made at age 23
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 389 — I love somebody, picture 1 of 1
389I love somebody
about 2001-2002 (age 22 to 24) BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's previously unpublished handwritten blue-ink poem I love somebody / Somebody loves me, about a love triangle that never makes a complete circle, on a lined notebook sheet.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 561 — The only people awake right now, picture 1 of 3
561The only people awake right now
about 2001-2002 (age 22 to 24) BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's previously unpublished handwritten late-night lyric THE ONLY PEOPLE AWAKE RIGHT NOW, in small writing on both sides of a sheet of lined loose-leaf, about a slow, lonely mind in the small hours and men coming home after a heavy night of drinking.
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 567 — Just what is wrong with me?, picture 1 of 3
567Just what is wrong with me?
about 2001-2002 (age 22 to 24) BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's lyric JUST WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?, a single loose sheet with an essay page, about living vicariously and taking a minute to get away from himself, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 630 — I can't tell you about the latest murder, picture 1 of 1
630I can't tell you about the latest murder
about 2001-2002 (age 22 to 24) BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's previously unpublished handwritten short lyric I CAN'T TELL YOU ABOUT THE LATEST MURDER, on lined notebook paper, a wry list of the gossip and fashion news he knows nothing about.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 1869 — An old gentleman wanders into a bar and sits himself down, picture 1 of 4
1869An old gentleman wanders into a bar and sits himself down
about 1999-2003 (age 20 to 25) NOT SURE
ESSAYS AND OTHER WRITINGS (NOT LYRICS)
Tom's typed short story that begins with an old gentleman sitting down in a bar beside a troubled young woman in a derby hat, with a pencil squiggle on the last page.
Dated from this piece's own words, the dated books and the pieces around it; this date is not sure.
See the whole card → 4 pictures
Item 732 — ANY GIVEN DAY, picture 1 of 3
732ANY GIVEN DAY
about 2001-2002 (age 23) - yellow binder line A21: after 11 September 2001 and by the April 2002 count, IF line A21 is the 9/11 poem (a title link only) NOT SURE
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
A two-page printed typescript of Tom's lyric ANY GIVEN DAY ("The day of all days"), about a nation finally uniting, on slightly crinkled white paper with his handwriting showing through from the back; the words became the song LAST CUP OF COFFEE (song list 3, track 1, in the 34 Albums).
See the whole card → 3 pictures

MADE IN 2001 OR LATER

These carry a first possible date (a print date, a date on the paper). They may be later.

Item 880 — BLACK SOX SCANDAL, picture 1 of 3
880BLACK SOX SCANDAL
February 2001 or later (age 22 or older)
ESSAYS AND OTHER WRITINGS (NOT LYRICS)
Tom's own typed college history paper BLACK SOX SCANDAL, by Tom Jensen, dated 2/18/01, folded in half, with his handwritten lyric "I'm too drunk to sleep / And I smoked too much weed" and pencilled notes on the baseball scandal on the back.
the card says: written at age 22 or later
See the whole card → 3 pictures
MEMORABILIA FROM THIS STORY
Every card on this page is a real piece — 266 pieces.
IF YOU LIKE THIS, TRY:
TOM'S STORY: 2000
TOM'S STORY: 2002
Collaborhythm · Collabtunes — Tom Jensen — Home (G)

What the words mean: PROVED a date or a dated book proves it. BEST GUESS our best reading, not yet proved. TOM SAID Tom's own word. LIKELY strong clues, not yet proved. NOT PROVED an estimate from the pieces around it. NOT SURE the sources disagree. No word: the card gives none yet. "About 1996-2002" means somewhere in those years; the piece is shown once, in the middle year.

← 2000EVERY YEAR2002 →
TOM'S STORY, YEAR BY YEAR Start here: every yearNo date found yetBy type: all pages