Tom's story: 2011

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

2011 — Tom was 32 and 33

289 pieces on this year: 4 dated to this year · 12 from a range of years, shown here in the middle · 6 made this year or later · 267 written by this year at the latest.

DATED TO 2011

Item 1584 — BOOK - FINISHED SONGS LYRICS BY TOM JENSEN, picture 1 of 1
1584BOOK - FINISHED SONGS LYRICS BY TOM JENSEN
2011 (age 32 or 33) BEST GUESS
PRINTED BOOKS, BINDERS AND NOTEBOOKS
Tom's spiral-bound book FINISHED SONGS LYRICS - lyrics to 43 songs with words written by Tom Jensen, in a blue and black cover with the READTOM.com imprint.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 1890 — THE BUSINESS PLAN, picture 1 of 2
1890THE BUSINESS PLAN
about 2011 (age 32 or 33) LIKELY
ESSAYS AND OTHER WRITINGS (NOT LYRICS)
Tom's typed BUSINESS PLAN to team up with a bar or restaurant where local musicians turn his poems into songs - he had already made 50 songs through his YouTube channel - with his handwritten idea KARAOKE NIGHT WITH SONGS MADE FROM MY LYRICS!
the card says: about 2011 (age 32 or 33)
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 97 — Pandora's box, picture 1 of 1
97Pandora's box
April 5, 2011 (age 32) BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten black-ink verse "Pandora's box / The face of a clock," about wishing to travel back in time, on a small torn spiral-notebook scrap dated 4/5/11.
the card says: written at age 32
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 348 — Pandora's box, picture 1 of 1
348Pandora's box
April 5, 2011 (age 32) BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's previously unpublished handwritten poem Pandora's box (there must be some way to travel back in time), written down a narrow torn strip of spiral notebook paper and dated 4/5/11.
the card says: written at age 32
See the whole card → 1 picture

ABOUT 2011: FROM A RANGE OF YEARS, SHOWN HERE IN THE MIDDLE

Item 1759 — New, picture 1 of 5
1759New
about 2011-2012 (age 32 to 34) LIKELY
SET LISTS, SONG LISTS, TITLE LISTS AND INDEXES
Tom's stack of handwritten and printed song title lists, including a New list and a DOWNWARD SPIRAL list with titles like DAYLIGHT AGAIN and EXIT THE SANDMAN (both in Chomskian Poems, 2011) and TOM'S PSALM (in Poems By Tom, 2007); one printed list on it is the contents list of Chomskian Poems (2011).
Dated from this piece's own words, the dated books and the pieces around it; likely, not yet proved.
See the whole card → 5 pictures
Item 1751 — WELCOME TO READTOM.COM, picture 1 of 1
1751WELCOME TO READTOM.COM
about 2008-2014 (age 29 to 36) BEST GUESS
NOTES, PLANS AND BUSINESS PAPERS
Tom's hand-drawn layout sketch for his website Welcome to ReadTom.com on a single white sheet, with boxes for Poems, Songs, Albums, Books, Favorite Quotes and Free Stuff around a drawn face.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 1760 — READTOM.COM PLAN NOTES, picture 1 of 5
1760READTOM.COM PLAN NOTES
about 2008-2014 (age 29 to 36) BEST GUESS
NOTES, PLANS AND BUSINESS PAPERS
Tom's hand-drawn plan notes on several white sheets for his readtom.com site - site sections, a shapes-and-colors chart, and notes on choice architecture and Nudge.
See the whole card → 5 pictures
Item 1950 — POET / LYRICIST, picture 1 of 1
1950POET / LYRICIST
about 2008-2014 (age 29 to 36)
SET LISTS, SONG LISTS, TITLE LISTS AND INDEXES
A printed flyer Tom made to find collaborators - POET / LYRICIST LOOKING TO MEET LOCAL SINGERS AND MUSICIANS TO JAM - with a cartoon guitarist and tear-off READTOM.COM tabs.
the card says: about 2008-2014 (age 29 to 36) - best guess; not before 2008
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 1951 — Read Tom dot com Friends, picture 1 of 9
1951Read Tom dot com Friends
about 2008-2014 (age 29 to 36)
SET LISTS, SONG LISTS, TITLE LISTS AND INDEXES
Nine sheets on which Tom kept handwritten lists of the online singers and musicians he worked with and followed through his READTOM.COM site, grouped as crew, friends and posse, with the countries they came from.
the card says: about 2008-2014 (age 29 to 36) - best guess; not before 2008
See the whole card → 9 pictures
Item 2002 — SURE LINES, picture 1 of 7
2002SURE LINES
about 2008-2015 (age 29 to 37) BEST GUESS
CDS, CD-RS AND CASSETTES
A set of printed CD inserts and track cards for albums of Tom's lyrics set to music by his collaborators - A LIFETIME OF RHYME, SONGS FOR A LADY, UNITY, SURE LINES and DIVISION - with a small handwritten note.
See the whole card → 7 pictures
Item 1911 — DON'T WORRY, I WILL SAVE THE WORLD FROM EVIL !!!, picture 1 of 1
1911DON'T WORRY, I WILL SAVE THE WORLD FROM EVIL !!!
about 2009-2014 (age 30 to 36) BEST GUESS
OBJECTS AND KEEPSAKES (TICKETS, POSTERS, SIGNS, SHIRTS, A GUITAR)
An enlarged print of Tom's business card - DON'T WORRY, I WILL SAVE THE WORLD FROM EVIL !!! - naming him Tom Jensen, Thinker, Writer, Poet, Songwriter and Activist, READTOM.COM.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 1914 — DON'T WORRY, I WILL SAVE THE WORLD FROM EVIL !!!, picture 1 of 1
1914DON'T WORRY, I WILL SAVE THE WORLD FROM EVIL !!!
about 2009-2014 (age 30 to 36) BEST GUESS
OBJECTS AND KEEPSAKES (TICKETS, POSTERS, SIGNS, SHIRTS, A GUITAR)
One of Tom's printed business cards - DON'T WORRY, I WILL SAVE THE WORLD FROM EVIL !!! - Tom Jensen, Thinker, Writer, Poet, Songwriter and Activist, READTOM.COM.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 1992 — DON'T WORRY, I WILL SAVE THE WORLD FROM EVIL !!!, picture 1 of 3
1992DON'T WORRY, I WILL SAVE THE WORLD FROM EVIL !!!
about 2009-2014 (age 30 to 36) BEST GUESS
OBJECTS AND KEEPSAKES (TICKETS, POSTERS, SIGNS, SHIRTS, A GUITAR)
Twelve of Tom's own printed business cards, cut apart and laid out in a grid, every one with his photo - Tom Jensen, Thinker, Writer, Poet, Songwriter and Activist - with the joke line DON'T WORRY, I WILL SAVE THE WORLD FROM EVIL !!! and his READTOM.COM website.
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 806 — on Whether or not to serve power, picture 1 of 1
806on Whether or not to serve power
about 2009-2013 (age 30 to 35) NOT SURE
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten, never-published four-line fragment ON WHETHER OR NOT TO SERVE POWER, in ink with heavy cross-outs on a torn strip of white paper.
Dated from this piece's own words, the dated books and the pieces around it; this date is not sure.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 1044 — Nuclear haulacost, picture 1 of 1
1044Nuclear haulacost
about 2009-2013 (age 30 to 35) NOT SURE
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's four-line poem NUCLEAR HAULACOST, handwritten in pencil on a stained sheet of loose-leaf - the missiles are approaching as people tremble in fear; never before published.
Dated from this piece's own words, the dated books and the pieces around it; this date is not sure.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 1953 — Spoken poems on LYRICAL BRILLIANCE, picture 1 of 5
1953Spoken poems on LYRICAL BRILLIANCE
about 2010-2013 (age 31 to 35) NOT SURE
SET LISTS, SONG LISTS, TITLE LISTS AND INDEXES
A long accordion-folded strip of lined notebook paper on which Tom listed the poems he recorded as spoken word for his Lyrical Brilliance channel - A Perfect World, Call It Fate, Crystal Ball, Heart Strings, Silhouette of a Stranger and many more.
Dated from this piece's own words, the dated books and the pieces around it; this date is not sure.
See the whole card → 5 pictures

MADE IN 2011 OR LATER

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

Item 1127 — CHOMSKIAN POETRY - 120 DISSIDENT POEMS BY TOM JENSEN (MAZE COVER, FEBRUARY 19TH 2011), picture 1 of 4
1127CHOMSKIAN POETRY - 120 DISSIDENT POEMS BY TOM JENSEN (MAZE COVER, FEBRUARY 19TH 2011)
February 2011 or later (age 32 or older) PROVED
PRINTED BOOKS, BINDERS AND NOTEBOOKS
A printed white paperback, CHOMSKIAN POETRY - 120 dissident poems by Tom Jensen, maze cover, McGraw-Hill open-publishing imprint, 147 pages, February 2011 or later (age 32 or older).
the card says: made at age 32 or later
See the whole card → 4 pictures
Item 1141 — MY BEST LYRICS FOR MAKING SONGS BY TOM JENSEN, picture 1 of 5
1141MY BEST LYRICS FOR MAKING SONGS BY TOM JENSEN
February 2011 or later (age 32 or older) PROVED
PRINTED BOOKS, BINDERS AND NOTEBOOKS
A printed paperback, red roses on black, My Best Lyrics for Making Songs by Tom Jensen, 92 indexed poems waiting for music, February 2011 or later (age 32 or older).
the card says: made at age 32 or later
See the whole card → 5 pictures
Item 1145 — POEMS & SONG LYRICS (RED ROSES COVER, FEB 2011), picture 1 of 5
1145POEMS & SONG LYRICS (RED ROSES COVER, FEB 2011)
February 2011 or later (age 32 or older) PROVED
PRINTED BOOKS, BINDERS AND NOTEBOOKS
A black printed paperback, POEMS & SONG LYRICS by Tom Jensen, three red roses on the cover, 492 pages in six parts, February 2011 or later (age 32 or older).
the card says: made at age 32 or later
See the whole card → 5 pictures
Item 1126 — CHOMSKIAN POETRY / SPOKEN WORD POETRY (WHITE BOOKLET, PUBLISHED JULY 4TH 2011), picture 1 of 6
1126CHOMSKIAN POETRY / SPOKEN WORD POETRY (WHITE BOOKLET, PUBLISHED JULY 4TH 2011)
July 2011 or later (age 32 or older) PROVED
PRINTED BOOKS, BINDERS AND NOTEBOOKS
A printed white perfect-bound booklet of Chomskian poetry and spoken word poetry, both title lists on the cover, dedicated to Noam Chomsky, July 2011 or later (age 32 or older).
the card says: made at age 32 or later
See the whole card → 6 pictures
Item 1147 — POEMS & SONG LYRICS (PAINTED FACE COVER, SEPT 2011), picture 1 of 4
1147POEMS & SONG LYRICS (PAINTED FACE COVER, SEPT 2011)
September 2011 or later (age 33 or older) PROVED
PRINTED BOOKS, BINDERS AND NOTEBOOKS
A black printed paperback, POEMS & SONG LYRICS by Tom Jensen, a painted portrait on the cover, 714-plus pages in five parts, September 2011 or later (age 33 or older).
the card says: made at age 33 or later
See the whole card → 4 pictures
Item 1568 — Poems & Song Lyrics (Red Roses) And My Big Black Book Of Poems & Song Lyrics, picture 1 of 12
1568Poems & Song Lyrics (Red Roses) And My Big Black Book Of Poems & Song Lyrics
February 2011 or later (age 32 or older) BEST GUESS
PRINTED BOOKS, BINDERS AND NOTEBOOKS
Tom's printed paperback POEMS & SONG LYRICS by Tom Jensen with red roses on the cover, dedicated to anyone who has ever stood up, running through to an index page marked THE END, kept with his printed MY BIG BLACK BOOK of poems & song lyrics, 492 pages, dated Feb. 19, 2011 on the back cover, with a page of brief summaries of what his poems and songs are about.
the card says: made at age 32 or later
See the whole card → 12 pictures
1092RATED NC-17 · on the adults-only pages

WRITTEN BY 2011 AT THE LATEST

A book dated 2011 holds these words, so they were written by then. They may be much older.

Item 243 — I'm not an under a chiever, picture 1 of 1
243I'm not an under a chiever
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten worksheet for the song JEWELRY BOX (set list 6, track 13 of the 34 albums), seven lines beginning 'I'm not an under a chiever' with syllable counts and a rhyme list (sooner, rumor, humor, consumer, time), in pencil and black ink on a folded white sheet.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 624 — Orange Is the Color of the Trees, picture 1 of 2
624Orange Is the Color of the Trees
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older PROVED
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten song drafts ORANGE IS THE COLOR OF THE TREES, on worn, yellowed lined notebook paper, one draft with rhyme-word lists, an A B C scheme and 'Refrain' marked down the side and a cleaner version with numbered stanzas, which became TONIGHT'S MOONLIGHT (song list 5, track 4) in his 34 albums.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 6 — FATE IS A WORD, picture 1 of 2
6FATE IS A WORD
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten poem FATE IS A WORD (set list 9, track 11), four numbered boxed stanzas on loose-leaf plus a short coda, published in 200 Poems Waiting For Music (2013).
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 43 — I spent a week inside an empty room, picture 1 of 1
43I spent a week inside an empty room
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten black-ink sheet "I spent a week inside an empty room / Just to see if I could take it" - an early draft of lines in his poem RAIN, with a second half (the cross, the nails, "another outcasted pidgeon") found in no book.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
96RATED X · on the adults-only pages
Item 104 — FROM A DISTANCE, picture 1 of 1
104FROM A DISTANCE
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem FROM A DISTANCE (SILHOUETTE OF A STRANGER), about the crowds walking downtown past the pizza parlor and the harbor, on a spiral-torn sheet with syllable counts beside every line and boxed notes and arrows at the bottom - tied to the song RAIN (set list 1, track 8).
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 107 — MISS YOU / KISS YOU, picture 1 of 3
107MISS YOU / KISS YOU
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten duet draft MISS YOU, KISS YOU, with verses marked for a man, a woman and both together, on a spiral-torn sheet with a bubble title and many crossouts plus a hand-drawn map of the song's structure - the words of SEE THIS THRU (song list 5, track 6).
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 3 pictures
108RATED X · on the adults-only pages
Item 112 — First you become a reader, picture 1 of 1
112First you become a reader
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short verse "First you become a reader... then you become a believer... then we all get together" to make the world better, in pen on a plain white sheet.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 126 — I've been plowing these same, picture 1 of 1
126I've been plowing these same
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric of the song DEEP SEEDED (song list 1, track 5), "I've been plowing these same fields for nearly thirty years," on a spiral-torn sheet written half in black marker and half in green ink with circled notes up the margin.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 204 — Tonight's Moonlight, picture 1 of 3
204Tonight's Moonlight
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric for the song TONIGHT'S MOONLIGHT (song list 5, track 4 of the 34 albums), beginning 'Orange is the color of the trees', on two lined pages with a syllable count written beside every line.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 208 — BEST LEFT, picture 1 of 5
208BEST LEFT
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric BEST LEFT, from the 34 albums, in pencil and ink across four lined sheets: a clean copy under a bubble-letter title, a second clean page, a numbered working draft with notes on symbolism, and a LAST VERSE page.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 5 pictures
Item 210 — FIGHT FOR PEACE, picture 1 of 1
210FIGHT FOR PEACE
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric for the song FIGHT FOR PEACE (song list 4, track 12 of the 34 albums), calling on the citizens of the world to knock down the mental wall, in pencil on a spiral-torn lined sheet under an outlined title.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 211 — IT'S YOUR TURN, picture 1 of 1
211IT'S YOUR TURN
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric for the song IT IS YOUR TURN (song list 3, track 7 of the 34 albums), titled IT'S YOUR TURN and beginning 'If you don't yet know who I am', in black ink on a spiral-torn lined sheet with circled stanza numbers.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 214 — One single ray of light broke through the clouds, picture 1 of 3
214One single ray of light broke through the clouds
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten half lyric 'One single ray of light broke through the clouds', from the 34 albums, on two notebook sheets, the second beginning 'I've been looking for motivation'.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 217 — Without you I'm just part of the whole, picture 1 of 1
217Without you I'm just part of the whole
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten working draft 'Without you I'm just part of the whole', toward the song TONIGHT'S MOONLIGHT (song list 5, track 4 of the 34 albums), on a wrinkled, torn sheet with a refrain bracket, rhyme letters and cross-outs.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 229 — If you're over worked and underpaid, picture 1 of 3
229If you're over worked and underpaid
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric 'If you're over worked and underpaid', a working-class anthem with the refrain 'Don't complain just get in line', on two torn spiral notebook sheets with circled verse numbers and an (End) note.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 436 — Well I Been Burning Bridges, picture 1 of 3
436Well I Been Burning Bridges
written by age 32 at the latest PROVED
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten poem Well I been burning bridges (but it's better than burning crosses), which went into the song HE SAID SHE SAID (set list 6, track 11), on two loose-leaf sheets - a pencil draft and a blue-ink version marked GREAT in the margin.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 273 — Rise Up, Rise Up, picture 1 of 1
273Rise Up, Rise Up
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten half lyric 'Rise up, Rise up / And follow me', a call to defend democracy from the corporate kids, which became the song TIRED (set list 17, track 11 of the 34 albums), on a loose-leaf sheet.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 277 — Well I guess the first place to start, picture 1 of 1
277Well I guess the first place to start
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten short lyric for the song FIRST PLACE (song list 4, track 8 of the 34 albums), beginning 'Well I guess the first place to start', ten lines in black and blue ink on a lined sheet.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 278 — I turn frowns upside down and make unhappy, picture 1 of 1
278I turn frowns upside down and make unhappy
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten half lyric 'I turn frowns upside down and make unhappy people smile', short verses with syllable counts in the margin, on a folded lined spiral notebook sheet.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 285 — I've got a brand new method to my madness, picture 1 of 1
285I've got a brand new method to my madness
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten working draft of I've got a brand new method to my madness, published in the 34 albums and in 200 Poems Waiting For Music, on a torn loose-leaf sheet marked with A/B/C rhyme letters, syllable counts and the margin note Jaded - cynical.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 289 — I am hoping it's not true, picture 1 of 1
289I am hoping it's not true
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten short lyric I am hoping it's not true, published in the 34 albums and The November 2024 Collection, eleven cursive lines in dark ink on a lined notebook sheet about singing on without the old passion.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 291 — When you forget then I forget, picture 1 of 1
291When you forget then I forget
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem When you forget then I forget, published in his poem anthologies, on a loose-leaf sheet with the stanzas renumbered 2, 1, 3, 4 in circles to set their order.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 299 — It's not where you end up but how far you had to go to get there, picture 1 of 1
299It's not where you end up but how far you had to go to get there
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten two-line lyric It's not where you end up but how far you had to go to get there, which went into the song MOTH (set list 11, track 5), written faintly on a plain white sheet.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 300 — I wake up remove the covers from my face, picture 1 of 1
300I wake up remove the covers from my face
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric I wake up remove the covers from my face, about the daily grind of the wage slave, published in the 34 albums and 200 Poems Waiting For Music, on a three-hole lined sheet with 3/8 syllable brackets on every line.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 310 — I found truth within a song / SONG STRUCTURE, picture 1 of 3
310I found truth within a song / SONG STRUCTURE
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten two-sheet working set for the song ONLY SHARED WITH YOU (set list 14, track 13): a SONG STRUCTURE plan with arrows mapping the song's sections and a need repeated lyric note, plus the lyric sheet I found truth within a song.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 319 — Obamafication of the masses, picture 1 of 1
319Obamafication of the masses
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten political poem Obamafication of the masses (America wants change - not the rhetoric of change), on a lined notebook sheet, published in the 34 albums and The November 2024 Collection.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 345 — You could be the one that makes my life, picture 1 of 1
345You could be the one that makes my life
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's clean handwritten pencil draft You could be the one that makes my life worth living, two stanzas on a hole-punched loose-leaf sheet, which became the song FRESCO (song list 5, track 5).
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 349 — Has she ever called out my name when you two were lying in bed?, picture 1 of 1
349Has she ever called out my name when you two were lying in bed?
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten seven-line lyric Has she ever called out my name when you two were lying in bed?, on a spiral-torn lined sheet, published in the 34 albums and 200 Poems Waiting For Music.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 437 — If I could free myself, picture 1 of 1
437If I could free myself
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem If I could free myself (maybe I could reach someone else), with scribbled-out lines, on a single sheet, published in the 34 albums and Finished Song Lyrics.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 687 — They just put my face on the mountain just for taking a step, picture 1 of 1
687They just put my face on the mountain just for taking a step
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten pencil lyric draft THEY JUST PUT MY FACE ON THE MOUNTAIN JUST FOR TAKING A STEP, on lined notebook paper with crossed-out lines and syllable counts in the margin, which became the song UNCASHABLE (set list 13, track 4) in his 34 albums.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 700 — I found a cat living in a boat, picture 1 of 2
700I found a cat living in a boat
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten full lyric I FOUND A CAT LIVING IN A BOAT on a sheet of white printer paper, the words that became the closing part of his poem ME AND YOU, in Tom's Anthology, February 19, 2011 and Chomskian Poems (2011).
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 713 — I just want to make my mark, picture 1 of 2
713I just want to make my mark
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten eight-line lyric I JUST WANT TO MAKE MY MARK in black ink on white printer paper, the words that became the song ANOTHER QUARTER (set list 20, track 13, in the 34 Albums).
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 734 — THE END OF TIME, picture 1 of 2
734THE END OF TIME
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten love lyric THE END OF TIME ("Your eyes are so beautiful that I can't begin to say"), in ink on lined notebook paper; the lyric is in the 34 Albums and in Finished Song Lyrics (2011).
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 786 — Hey Brother can you spare a dime?, picture 1 of 2
786Hey Brother can you spare a dime?
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten four-line pencil lyric HEY BROTHER CAN YOU SPARE A DIME? on lined notebook paper, with a crossed-out line, the words that became the song UNCASHABLE (set list 13, track 4, in the 34 Albums).
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 789 — FROM A DISTANCE, picture 1 of 2
789FROM A DISTANCE
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten pencil poem FROM A DISTANCE, about the thousands of people seen walking downtown every day, on a sheet torn from a spiral notebook, published in 200 Poems Waiting For Music (2013).
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 790 — Dead Silence on the train, picture 1 of 2
790Dead Silence on the train
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten pencil lyric DEAD SILENCE ON THE TRAIN ("Thirty people sitting in thirty separate rows"), on a sheet torn from a spiral notebook with a small margin note, published in Finished Song Lyrics (2011).
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 877 — How long have you been sleeping?, picture 1 of 2
877How long have you been sleeping?
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric "How long have you been sleeping? / How long have your eyes been closed?" on a sheet of lined notebook paper with ragged spiral edges, which became the song WITHIN REACH (song list 9, track 9) in the 34 Albums and is published in Only The Best (2018) and Finished Song Lyrics (2011).
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 997 — It's time to write a song, picture 1 of 2
997It's time to write a song
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric draft on a torn-off sheet of lined notebook paper, with syllable counts in the margin, tied to the song INSOMNIA (set list 11, track 6) in the 34 Albums.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 998 — Ahh... I couldn't tell you what I knew, picture 1 of 5
998Ahh... I couldn't tell you what I knew
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric fragments in blue ink and pencil on lined notebook paper - AHH... I COULDN'T TELL YOU WHAT I KNEW, lines on insomnia and false American idols, and IT'S TIME TO WRITE A SONG - working toward the song MOTH (set list 11, track 5) in the 34 Albums.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 5 pictures
Item 1931 — THE FOLLOWING ARE BRIEF SUMMARIES OF WHAT MY POEMS / SONGS ARE ABOUT:, picture 1 of 11
1931THE FOLLOWING ARE BRIEF SUMMARIES OF WHAT MY POEMS / SONGS ARE ABOUT:
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
SET LISTS, SONG LISTS, TITLE LISTS AND INDEXES
A long taped printout in which Tom gives a one-line summary of what each of his poems and songs is about, from ADVICE and ALCOHOL through ALISON'S AIRPLANE to ZEROES, as used for his 2011 Finished Song Lyrics book.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 11 pictures
Item 2026 — Song list 4, picture 1 of 1
2026Song list 4
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
SET LISTS, SONG LISTS, TITLE LISTS AND INDEXES
A printed scroll, taped around a cylinder, of Tom's song list 4 - Fallen Clouds, Stranded, Coming of Fall, Breaking the Chains, One Slip of the Knife, Overrated, Maybe Someday, First Place - each his lyrics set by a collaborator, with a torn lined note reading 34 Scrolls.
the card says: printed about 2024-2026 (age 45 to 48); the songs on song list 4 were in his books by November 2012
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 2037 — Song list 6, picture 1 of 1
2037Song list 6
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
SET LISTS, SONG LISTS, TITLE LISTS AND INDEXES
A printed scroll, wrapped in plastic with a rubber band, of Tom's song list 6 - Dead Silence, Now Boarding, Leaving California, Butterfly, Nature of Man, Melody of Sorrow, Come for a Ride, Where I Am From, How Can You - each his lyrics set by a collaborator, with a torn lined note reading 34 Scrolls.
the card says: printed about 2024-2026 (age 45 to 48); the songs on song list 6 were in his books by 2012
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 2038 — Song list 5, picture 1 of 1
2038Song list 5
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
SET LISTS, SONG LISTS, TITLE LISTS AND INDEXES
A printed scroll, rolled around a white cylinder, of Tom's song list 5 - Night Out, Worth the Wait, In the Pouring Rain, Tonight's Moonlight, Fresco, See This Thru, It Could Be You, Dreamland, Warm Shoulder, Still Thinking of You Tonight, What We Share - each his lyrics set by a collaborator, with a torn lined note reading 34 Scrolls.
the card says: printed about 2024-2026 (age 45 to 48); the songs on song list 5 were in his books by 2014
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 17 — Talkin' about front page of magazines, picture 1 of 3
17Talkin' about front page of magazines
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric "Talkin' about front page of magazines," about limousines, beauty queens and life behind the scenes, on two sheets torn from a spiral notebook - a full thirteen-line version and a short four-line one - which became the song ROCKING THE WORLD (song list 9, track 12).
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 95 — Two Morning Doves Rest Upon A Limb, picture 1 of 1
95Two Morning Doves Rest Upon A Limb
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten untitled poem "Two morning doves rest upon a limb / Begin the day with a praising hymn," on a hole-punched loose-leaf sheet with A and B rhyme letters in the margin - the words of the song MY PRECIOUS (set list 1, track 10).
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 106 — APOCALYPSE LATER, picture 1 of 2
106APOCALYPSE LATER
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten poem APOCALYPSE LATER ("Stranded here on this giant sphere we call the earth"), on a three-hole loose-leaf sheet with circled A, B and C rhyme marks down the right margin.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 109 — MATTER OF WAR, picture 1 of 1
109MATTER OF WAR
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten poem MATTER OF WAR ("It's such a complicated subject this matter of war"), about war woven through all of history, two stanzas on a loose-leaf sheet under an outlined title.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 203 — It's Such A Complicated Subject This Matter Of War, picture 1 of 1
203It's Such A Complicated Subject This Matter Of War
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten opening of the song COMPLICATED SUBJECT (set list 9, track 10 of the 34 albums), six lines beginning 'It's such a complicated subject this matter of war', on a severely crumpled, torn-edge lined sheet with line counts in the margin.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 209 — More concerned with the theft of identity, picture 1 of 3
209More concerned with the theft of identity
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric for the song HERESY SPEAKS NO EVIL (set list 10, track 3 of the 34 albums), a protest piece beginning 'More concerned with the theft of identity / Than the total loss of humanity', in dense blue and black ink on two spiral notebook sheets with stanza notes in the margin.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 218 — It's such a complicated subject this matter of war, picture 1 of 1
218It's such a complicated subject this matter of war
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten working draft of 'It's such a complicated subject this matter of war', tied to the song COMPLICATED SUBJECT (set list 9, track 10 of the 34 albums), on a crumpled, torn spiral sheet with syllable counts, crossed-out lines and word-tree notes.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 236 — Still searching for something, picture 1 of 1
236Still searching for something
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
A printed sheet of Tom's lyric 'Still searching for something', which became the song MONETIZATION (set list 1, track 11 of the 34 albums), with lines struck out and new lines handwritten in the margins, including 'From King Midas to Judas'.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 240 — Talking 'Bout, picture 1 of 3
240Talking 'Bout
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's working sheet for the song ROCKING THE WORLD (song list 9, track 12 of the 34 albums), titled TALKING 'BOUT: a typed lyric of numbered lines with syllable counts, heavily added to in green handwriting.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 242 — HERESY SPEAK NO EVIL, picture 1 of 2
242HERESY SPEAK NO EVIL
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
A printed two-page copy of Tom's lyric HERESY SPEAK NO EVIL, water-stained and marked up by hand with new words, cross-outs and a handwritten verse, the second page beginning 'Me? Personally... I'd rather be one of the unemployed'.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 290 — I VISITED A PLACE, picture 1 of 1
290I VISITED A PLACE
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric I VISITED A PLACE, which became the song VISITED A PLACE (song list 1, track 6), about a lost forest, written in capitals and then script on a lined sheet.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 730 — Everything I have I'd gladly give it all away, picture 1 of 3
730Everything I have I'd gladly give it all away
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric EVERYTHING I HAVE I'D GLADLY GIVE IT ALL AWAY ("to take a trip through time"), in brown marker on a white sheet whose other side carries his pencil shopping notes for building a shelf; an early draft of lines in WALKING PARADOX (set list 16, track 6, in the 34 Albums), which is in many of his books, including 200 Poems Waiting For Music (2013).
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 796 — Waking up to a cold and breezy September morning, picture 1 of 2
796Waking up to a cold and breezy September morning
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric WAKING UP TO A COLD AND BREEZY SEPTEMBER MORNING, in dark ink on a sheet of lined loose-leaf torn from a spiral notebook, with his syllable counts in the margin - a draft or re-working of the middle of his poem LONELY CLOUDS, printed in 200 Poems Waiting For Music (2013) and earlier anthologies.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 830 — From where I stand, picture 1 of 2
830From where I stand
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten, never-published short poem FROM WHERE I STAND ("Everything looks groovy gravy"), on a small sheet of lined cream-colored notepad paper with a second stanza at the bottom beginning "I document history".
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 834 — I've looked up and down, picture 1 of 2
834I've looked up and down
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten eight-line lyric I'VE LOOKED UP AND DOWN ("And left and right / I've gone out searching"), on the torn half of a lined sheet, an early draft of a stanza of the song ANOTHER QUARTER (set list 20, track 13, in the 34 Albums) - the sheet's wording is slightly different from the song.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 1998 — Snow, picture 1 of 1
1998Snow
written by February 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older BEST GUESS
LOOSE LYRICS, ONE-LINERS AND RHYME WORD BANKS
A white sheet on which Tom built a rhyme word bank in black ink (snow, flow, glow, below, rainbow) and tried out lines beginning Rain... it makes the flowers grow and Pain... it doesn't always show, counting syllables in the margin.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 7 — RESCUE, picture 1 of 2
7RESCUE
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem RESCUE, about a rescue worker who died at ground zero, written in full on loose-leaf with a hand-drawn title and a short four-line ending, from his early yellow binder years (age 18 to 23) and published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 105 — Eyes that you can't see are watching you, picture 1 of 2
105Eyes that you can't see are watching you
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten poem "Eyes that you can't see are watching you," about Big Brother and a new world order gaining control, on two sheets with syllable counts in the margin - the words of ENEMY OF THIS STATE (set list 18, track 9).
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 127 — SECRET ROOM, picture 1 of 1
127SECRET ROOM
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem SECRET ROOM ("I have turned the knob that opens up a door / to a secret room that doesn't have a floor"), on a torn spiral-notebook sheet with rhyme words in the left margin.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
131RATED X · on the adults-only pages
Item 409 — The brutal honesty of this fish bowl world, picture 1 of 1
409The brutal honesty of this fish bowl world
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten black-ink lyric The brutal honesty of this fish bowl world, eight lines with fish bowl added above the first line, which went into the song POOREST CHORUS (set list 13, track 7).
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 485 — Who Wants to Remember?, picture 1 of 1
485Who Wants to Remember?
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten pencil poem Who wants to remember? Who wants to forget? Who wants a revolution?, on a full lined sheet, published in his poem anthologies and Brian Rainstorm: Poetry Not Dead.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 502 — TWO SEASONS, picture 1 of 3
502TWO SEASONS
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten sheets under number 502: the poem TWO SEASONS (I see black clouds rolling in), two pages in ink print-hand on lined loose-leaf, published in 200 Poems Waiting For Music; and an untitled pencil cursive lyric (I'm in a click... but I don't fit) on a lined notebook sheet, set out as a song with syllable counts and Chorus marked in the margin.
the card says: written at age 23 to 29 for the TWO SEASONS pages; written by age 32 at the latest for the pencil sheet IN A CLICK
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 659 — The minority of the oppulent, picture 1 of 2
659The minority of the oppulent
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short lyric THE MINORITY OF THE OPULENT, on notebook paper, taking aim at the masters of the universe, the wizards of Davos and their limousines, part of the song HE SAID SHE SAID (set list 6, track 11) in his 34 albums.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 276 — I'm a singer songwriter, picture 1 of 1
276I'm a singer songwriter
written by age 33 at the latest PROVED
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten short lyric 'I'm a singer songwriter / I'm a lover not a fighter', ten lines of self-portrait on a lined sheet torn from a spiral notebook.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 205 — I said you've got to hold on, picture 1 of 1
205I said you've got to hold on
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten short lyric 'I said you've got to hold on', which became the song HE SAID SHE SAID (set list 6, track 11 of the 34 albums), fourteen lines in pencil on a lined notebook sheet with a few words crossed out.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 212 — Passenger, picture 1 of 2
212Passenger
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric Passenger, beginning 'I haven't given up or given in', on two sheets: a draft with syllable counts and rhyme-scheme letters marked on every line, and a clean copy finished in green ink.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 213 — Side of a Building, picture 1 of 1
213Side of a Building
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric Side of a Building, which became the song INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (set list 10, track 11 of the 34 albums), about graffiti obscenities aimed at passing children, in black ink on a spiral notebook sheet.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 215 — I've been watching the white trashification of these United States..., picture 1 of 1
215I've been watching the white trashification of these United States...
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
A typed sheet of Tom's 'white trashification' verses from the 34 albums, finished by hand with added closing lines and two new handwritten verses at the bottom.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 241 — SECRET ROOM, picture 1 of 1
241SECRET ROOM
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
A printed page of Tom's poem SECRET ROOM, about a door that opens onto a room with no floor, with lines scribbled out and a new ending handwritten in green ink beginning 'He who holds the power'.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 255 — The last words I heard from you, picture 1 of 4
255The last words I heard from you
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten working draft for the song HE SAID SHE SAID (set list 6, track 11 of the 34 albums), with circled verse numbers across two spiral notebook sheets, including 'I said you've got to hold on', 'The last words I heard from you' and a crossed-out verse about the rocky road of life.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 4 pictures
Item 279 — SHADES, picture 1 of 1
279SHADES
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten black-ink lyric SHADES (set list 10, track 10, the song SHADES), on a single sheet of lined notebook paper, asking what color we are inside and crossing out lines as he worked them.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 281 — I'm a Rhode's Scholar of the soul, picture 1 of 3
281I'm a Rhode's Scholar of the soul
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem I'm a Rhode's Scholar of the soul (with a PhD in rock n' roll), written across two small lined notebook pages with struck-through revisions, published in his poem anthologies.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 304 — I AM TO GOD WHAT THE BEATLES WERE TO JESUS, picture 1 of 1
304I AM TO GOD WHAT THE BEATLES WERE TO JESUS
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten poem I AM TO GOD WHAT THE BEATLES WERE TO JESUS, about independent thought as the only thing that frees us, in block capitals in four stanzas on a white sheet, published in the 34 albums.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 305 — I've been trying to explain this, picture 1 of 1
305I've been trying to explain this
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric I've been trying to explain this (the myth that what is - is), published in the 34 albums, on a lined sheet with red brackets and A/B/C rhyme and syllable marks.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 306 — Almost slippery, it's so surreal, picture 1 of 1
306Almost slippery, it's so surreal
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten cursive lyric Almost slippery, it's so surreal, which went into the song I AM (set list 8, track 6), on a lined sheet with brackets and one struck line.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 323 — They let me hold a gun, picture 1 of 1
323They let me hold a gun
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten black-ink poem They let me hold a gun, a voice from a guard tower serving power, on a lined notebook page, published in his poem anthologies.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 486 — GREATEST TO LEAST, picture 1 of 1
486GREATEST TO LEAST
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem GREATEST TO LEAST (Like a surgeon I should come with a warning), on a sheet of lined notebook paper, published in his poem anthologies.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 487 — I Don't Do It for the Love, picture 1 of 1
487I Don't Do It for the Love
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten tongue-in-cheek poem I don't do it for the love... I do it strictly for the money, on a lined notebook sheet, published in Brian Rainstorm: Poetry Not Dead and Only The Best.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 496 — Being HIP, picture 1 of 2
496Being HIP
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten black-ink lyric Well the money's on the table, my thoughts are down the drain, with Refrain marked in the margin, on a lined notebook sheet, published in his poem anthologies.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 791 — Given time all things must pass, picture 1 of 2
791Given time all things must pass
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric GIVEN TIME ALL THINGS MUST PASS, verses labeled in the margin on a diagonally torn piece of yellowed spiral notebook paper with the top lines lost to the tear; the lyric is in the 34 Albums and 200 Poems Waiting For Music (2013).
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 808 — Because only when the people know can they resist, picture 1 of 3
808Because only when the people know can they resist
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric BECAUSE ONLY WHEN THE PEOPLE KNOW CAN THEY RESIST, about awareness and control ("One card one chip one voice tells you what to do"), written across three small spiral-pad slips; the lyric is in the 34 Albums and A Lifetime Of Rhyme (2020).
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 886 — I'm getting angry, picture 1 of 2
886I'm getting angry
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten poem "I'm getting angry / Unhappy / If I start crying / Please slap me," seventeen lines ending "the only face I trust / Is on the moon," in dark ink on a sheet of lined notebook paper torn from a spiral, which became the song EAST TIMOR (set list 13, track 12) in the 34 Albums and appears in A Lifetime Of Rhyme (2020).
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 905 — Well kid, you've finally paid your dues, picture 1 of 2
905Well kid, you've finally paid your dues
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten seven-line lyric "Well kid, you've finally paid your dues... So now what the hell you gonna do?" with rhyme letters in the margin, on a sheet of lined notebook paper, which belongs to the song ENEMY OF THIS STATE (set list 18, track 9) in the 34 Albums, published in Only The Best (2018) and A Lifetime Of Rhyme (2020).
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 954 — I found the rhyme, picture 1 of 2
954I found the rhyme
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric "I found the rhyme / Have you found the reason?" with a big X drawn through the middle lines and the last line in red ink, on a torn-edged sheet of lined notebook paper, which became the song HE SAID SHE SAID (set list 6, track 11) in the 34 Albums, published in Only The Best (2018) and 180 Good Poems (2012).
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 956 — The last words I heard from you, picture 1 of 3
956The last words I heard from you
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lines "The last words I heard from you / was that all sense of hope was fading fast... The path of life can be a rocky road," seven pencil lines crossed out with big X marks on a creased white sheet - a verse of the song HE SAID SHE SAID (set list 6, track 11) in the 34 Albums.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 128 — I woke up this morning, picture 1 of 1
128I woke up this morning
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten untitled poem "I woke up this morning / In a place I'd been before," about turning the page and closing old doors, on a spiral-torn lined sheet.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
133RATED R · on the adults-only pages
Item 307 — Living in the age of painted rust, picture 1 of 1
307Living in the age of painted rust
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten six-line lyric Living in the age of painted rust (its opening four lines are in the song I AM on the 34 albums and in Chomskian Poems, 2011), on a torn half sheet of lined paper.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 504 — When I got outta line I lost my place, picture 1 of 5
504When I got outta line I lost my place
written by July 2011 at the latest (age 32) - it may be older BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric When I got outta line it seems I lost my place (when I spoke out against the powers that be), an early draft of the poem FAILING, on a lined sheet, kept with his printed spoken-word poetry flyer and READTOM.COM cards.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 5 pictures
Item 8 — I'm here, I'm there, picture 1 of 1
8I'm here, I'm there
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem "I'm here, I'm there / I'm everywhere," about building bridges across the world, on a single ragged-edged sheet torn from a spiral notebook, from his early yellow binder years (age 18 to 23).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 38 — Well, its not who you know its who, picture 1 of 1
38Well, its not who you know its who
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten blue-marker lyric "Well, it's not who you know it's who you don't," about hiding in the shadows and the cracks, on a torn spiral-notebook sheet - part of the song SOMEWHERE (set list 8, track 12).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 57 — GG TO E, picture 1 of 1
57GG TO E
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten eight-line poem G G TO E ("The more I get to know myself / The more I'm falling in love"), on loose-leaf with a hand-drawn title, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 101 — TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN, picture 1 of 2
101TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN ("Standing alone on top of this mountain"), on a torn-edge loose-leaf sheet with an outlined title, A-to-E rhyme letters down the side and a column of sums in the corner, shown with an earlier draft beneath it.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 154 — You cango and pop your pills, picture 1 of 2
154You cango and pop your pills
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten three-line lyric 'You cango and pop your pills', about pills, money and the trouble that follows, written on the blank back of a printed Salem State College campus map.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
166RATED NC-17 · on the adults-only pages
Item 183 — Chameleon, picture 1 of 1
183Chameleon
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten draft verses of the song PRETTY GOLD BRACELET ('Maybe I can't afford to buy you a pretty gold bracelet'), black and blue ink on a spiral-torn lined notebook sheet
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 228 — OFF THE WALL, picture 1 of 1
228OFF THE WALL
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric OFF THE WALL, twelve lines on privilege and straying from the path of success, in black ink on a lined sheet under a bubble-letter title.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 234 — NEVER BE, picture 1 of 1
234NEVER BE
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
A typed sheet of Tom's lyric NEVER BE, from the 34 albums, reworked by hand with boxed additions, rhyme-scheme letters down the middle and the side note 'I got nothing but time and my mind'.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 274 — I just melted in your eyes, picture 1 of 1
274I just melted in your eyes
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten half lyric 'I just melted in your eyes', which became the song TEN FEET TALL (set list 19, track 7 of the 34 albums), three four-line verses in cursive on a 3-hole-punched lined sheet.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 301 — LIVING LEGEND, picture 1 of 1
301LIVING LEGEND
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's previously unpublished handwritten poem LIVING LEGEND, a boast under a title in outline bubble letters, answered by his own boxed self-critique (Okay I suck), on a torn loose-leaf sheet.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 317 — He holds the power... to relieve pain, picture 1 of 1
317He holds the power... to relieve pain
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten black-ink lyric He holds the power... to relieve pain, which went into the song ANOTHER QUARTER (set list 20, track 13), on a yellowed torn notebook sheet with '5/4' written beside each of its three sections and the tempo notes SLOW Intro and FAST PACE.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 321 — SELF, picture 1 of 1
321SELF
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's working sheet for the lyric SELF, a printed-out page marked up with his handwritten edits and the first stanza (I've gone blind) written out again by hand below, published in the 34 albums and 200 Poems Waiting For Music.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 332 — SINK OR SWIM, picture 1 of 1
332SINK OR SWIM
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten black-ink lyric SINK OR SWIM (I tried to save a lost cause), one long verse on a lined sheet, which became the song WARMER WATERS (song list 2, track 3).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 341 — If you got it - flaunt it, picture 1 of 1
341If you got it - flaunt it
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's previously unpublished four-line verse If you got it - flaunt it / If you don't - fake it, handwritten on a lined sheet.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 350 — If You Got the Heart, Baby, picture 1 of 1
350If You Got the Heart, Baby
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten faint-pencil poem If you got the heart, baby (then I got the soul), on a loose-leaf sheet, published in Tom's Anthology of September 18, 2011.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 369 — I'm just a harmless hippy never been in a fight, picture 1 of 2
369I'm just a harmless hippy never been in a fight
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's previously unpublished handwritten verse I'm just a harmless hippy never been in a fight, in blue ink on a plain cream sheet.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 390 — Watching..., picture 1 of 1
390Watching...
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric Watching... Waiting... (staring out the window down upon the concrete wall), on a lined notebook sheet, published in the 34 albums and his poem anthologies.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 406 — RHYME OR REASON, picture 1 of 1
406RHYME OR REASON
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten black-ink lyric RHYME OR REASON (when a sweaty palm melts into cold steel), one verse and a four-line chorus on a loose-leaf sheet, which went into the song MESSY ROOM (set list 15, track 8).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 423 — Hello I like you, picture 1 of 1
423Hello I like you
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten black-ink poem opening Hello I like you, a wry warning from a heartbroken cynic, with a second piece headed Refrigerator Poems, on a spiral notebook page, published in his poem anthologies.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 425 — Well I've found out, picture 1 of 1
425Well I've found out
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten four-line poem Well I've found out (you've got to break the mold when you can't break the rules), on a torn three-hole lined notebook sheet.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 484 — I Return to My Most Favorite, picture 1 of 1
484I Return to My Most Favorite
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem I return to my most favorite familiar place, about the fresh canvas of a blank page, written in four ruled sections on a lined notebook sheet, published in his poem anthologies.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 543 — Say anything, picture 1 of 2
543Say anything
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten black-ink poem Say anything, with its title in bubble letters, three four-line verses opening The captain of the ship's now hiding in the crow's nest, on loose-leaf, published in the 34 albums.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 550 — If I could turn back this clock, picture 1 of 4
550If I could turn back this clock
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS IN POEMS BY TOM
Tom's handwritten poem If I could turn back this clock (reset everyone's score to zero, at least then I'd be somebody's hero), written across two sheets with scribbled-out lines at the end, published in Poems By Tom.
the card says: written by age 29 at the latest for the clock lines; written by age 33 at the latest for the writer's block lines
See the whole card → 4 pictures
Item 626 — Looking for a roll model, picture 1 of 1
626Looking for a roll model
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten song lyric LOOKING FOR A ROLE MODEL, in pencil on a single torn-edge sheet of lined notebook paper, five short stanzas about looking for warmer water and ending up with a bottle, which became WARMER WATERS (song list 2, track 3) in his 34 albums.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 668 — Who knew that the ride stopped here?, picture 1 of 1
668Who knew that the ride stopped here?
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short lyric WHO KNEW THAT THE RIDE STOPPED HERE?, on a torn-edged sheet of lined notebook paper, about ending up in a little three-month town of frozen lakes and polar bears, part of the song MIDAS TOUCH (set list 7, track 5) in his 34 albums.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 691 — This is the train that'll lead me outta here, picture 1 of 2
691This is the train that'll lead me outta here
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric THIS IS THE TRAIN THAT'LL LEAD ME OUTTA HERE, in blue ink on lined notebook paper, about getting out while the getting's good, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 699 — I have spied the dawn of a new age, picture 1 of 2
699I have spied the dawn of a new age
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten ink draft of the poem I HAVE SPIED THE DAWN OF A NEW AGE on a torn sheet of lined notebook paper, with his working notes "Use something else" and "Keep together" running up the margin and a large circled 2, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 718 — You speak of eight, multiple intelligences, picture 1 of 2
718You speak of eight, multiple intelligences
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten pencil poem YOU SPEAK OF EIGHT, MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES, a street-level answer to classroom theory, on a torn-edge sheet of lined notebook paper from his early yellow binder years (ages 18 to 23).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 837 — She falls in and out of love, picture 1 of 2
837She falls in and out of love
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem "She falls in and out of love," about a love that comes and goes every other day, on a torn strip of lined notebook paper; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013) and Tom's Anthology.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 879 — And So It Seems To Me, picture 1 of 1
879And So It Seems To Me
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric "And so it seems to me there's been a deterioration in humanity," ending "All in the name of playing follow the leader," in blue and black ink on a sheet of three-hole-punched paper, which became the song OLD ELI (song list 10, track 3) in the 34 Albums and appears in the Brian Rainstorm Song Lyric Book (2014).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 917 — Well. The circle has been completed., picture 1 of 2
917Well. The circle has been completed.
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem "Well. The circle has been completed. / You finally got everything that you needed," in black ink on a sheet of lined notebook paper torn from a spiral; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 928 — When General Tom said the dream, picture 1 of 2
928When General Tom said the dream
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem "When General Tom said the dream was gone... / The battle lost - the gig is up / I became withdrawn," on a sheet of lined paper; published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013) and Tom's Anthology.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 932 — CHICKENS IN A BASKET, picture 1 of 1
932CHICKENS IN A BASKET
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem CHICKENS IN A BASKET, mixing up the old sayings about eggs and baskets, on a lined legal sheet; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013) and Brian Rainstorm: Poetry Not Dead (2014).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 945 — Here I stand with this familiar face, picture 1 of 2
945Here I stand with this familiar face
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem beginning "Here I stand with this familiar face," seven lines in black ink at the top of a sheet of lined notebook paper; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013) and Brian Rainstorm: Poetry Not Dead (2014).
Its words are in Tom's anthology of September 18, 2011, so it was written by then. It may be older.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 957 — I once knew this girl who was more than a friend, picture 1 of 2
957I once knew this girl who was more than a friend
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem The Truth About Turtles, beginning "I once knew this girl who was more than a friend," about the pet he bought her when their love was new, in black ink on a torn half sheet of lined notebook paper; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 975 — you work so you can, picture 1 of 2
975you work so you can
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's short poem YOU WORK SO YOU CAN, handwritten in blue ink on a round paper plate, about working to pay for school and forgetting to pencil in sleep; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 1017 — As the bright green trees begin to lose, picture 1 of 2
1017As the bright green trees begin to lose
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten autumn poem AS THE BRIGHT GREEN TREES BEGIN TO LOSE in cursive on a ragged-edged sheet of lined notebook paper, about crisp fall air and a lover waiting at home; published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 1052 — Through rain, sleet, or snow there's someplace I must find, picture 1 of 1
1052Through rain, sleet, or snow there's someplace I must find
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten draft of THROUGH RAIN, SLEET, OR SNOW on a spiral-torn lined sheet, in pen with crossed-out words - following his path while the flame burns down like kindling.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 1068 — Out on the streets, picture 1 of 2
1068Out on the streets
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten four-line poem OUT ON THE STREETS on lined notebook paper - raw and uncut, still sticking out the suitcase that was slammed half-shut; published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 1069 — Im just warming up, picture 1 of 1
1069Im just warming up
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem IM JUST WARMING UP on a torn piece of white lined notebook paper, about warming up to life and to who he is and is not; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 1083 — Here I Am, Back Where It All Started, picture 1 of 1
1083Here I Am, Back Where It All Started
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older PROVED
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's poem HERE I AM, BACK WHERE IT ALL STARTED, handwritten in cursive on a folded plain sheet with a brown stain, about returning to where he became a man - seems like a fistful of Decembers; among the first poems in his early binder and published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
1102RATED X · on the adults-only pages
1629RATED X · on the adults-only pages
1732RATED R · on the adults-only pages
Item 3 — SUMMER'S THE TIME, picture 1 of 1
3SUMMER'S THE TIME
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten first draft of the song SUMMER'S THE TIME (song list 9, track 8), on loose-leaf with heavy crossouts and circled syllable counts, published in 200 Poems Waiting For Music (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 14 — I walked in and the band was playin' Dylan, picture 1 of 2
14I walked in and the band was playin' Dylan
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem "I walked in and the band was playin' Dylan," about grabbing a drink and claiming a bar for the night, written on the back of a pink Dodge Street Bar & Grill flyer and published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 42 — All Dark And Depressing Thoughts, picture 1 of 2
42All Dark And Depressing Thoughts
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten ink poem "All dark and depressing thoughts fade away," about climbing up from rock bottom, fifteen lines on pink paper whose back is a printed Dodge Street Bar & Grill (Salem, Massachusetts) August 2003 music schedule - the poem later titled GOODBYE TO YOU.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 98 — DOT DOT SPACE, picture 1 of 1
98DOT DOT SPACE
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten working pages on two white loose-leaf sheets - a draft of DOT DOT SPACE headed by long rhyme lists (dot, pot, hot, jackpot) with a scribbled-out block, and a numbered verse beginning "I've given you everything I've got."
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 102 — DOT DOT SPACE, picture 1 of 4
102DOT DOT SPACE
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten drafts of the poem DOT, DOT, SPACE ("I've finally decided to give you a piece of my mind"), on four spiral-torn sheets with a bubble-letter title, numbered margins and different versions of the verses.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 4 pictures
Item 110 — I'm sorry to have to tell you this, picture 1 of 1
110I'm sorry to have to tell you this
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten short poem "I'm sorry to have to tell you this / Jesus wasn't the only one ever betrayed by a kiss," on a spiral-torn lined sheet - part of the song BETRAYAL (set list 7, track 9).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 111 — 13 Songs, picture 1 of 3
11113 Songs
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem 13 SONGS ("My own father wants me to get a steady nine to five"), about choosing songwriting over a safe life, on two loose-leaf sheets with the names of his own songs circled in the text and working marks in the margins.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 145 — I Just Bought A Beeper, picture 1 of 1
145I Just Bought A Beeper
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten short lyric I Just Bought A Beeper, twelve lines about never being alone once you carry a pager, on a torn piece of lined spiral notebook paper.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 189 — ME, picture 1 of 1
189ME
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric ME, a call-and-response of 'Who wants to believe the lies?' answered 'Me, Me', under an outline-letter title on a torn and stained loose-leaf sheet.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 207 — Julia has a garden so intricate in design, picture 1 of 3
207Julia has a garden so intricate in design
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric for the song JULIA'S GARDEN (song list 10, track 12 of the 34 albums), about a secret garden and a life as simple as Emerson or Thoreau, on three torn lined sheets, one with a coffee stain.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 4 — Rain... it makes the flowers grow, picture 1 of 1
4Rain... it makes the flowers grow
written by age 32 at the latest PROVED
LOOSE LYRICS, ONE-LINERS AND RHYME WORD BANKS
Tom's rhyme worksheet for his Rain/Pain lines ("Rain... it makes the flowers grow"), a printed sheet worked over by hand with a column of rhymes like snow, blow and flow, published in A Lifetime Of Rhyme (2020).
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 235 — NEVER BE, picture 1 of 1
235NEVER BE
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
A typed sheet of Tom's lyric NEVER BE, worked over in three colors: orange rhyme circles and letters, new verses handwritten in green, and closing lines in black ink beginning 'My thoughts, like clothes, I will openly wear'.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 250 — I wish my hardest for those who cant pay, picture 1 of 1
250I wish my hardest for those who cant pay
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten half lyric 'I wish my hardest for those who cant pay', on two overlapping lined sheets in cursive and print, with further lines such as 'Life is 10 percent what happens' and 'Some people save lives'.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 270 — a day before, picture 1 of 1
270a day before
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric for the song POSTCARD (song list 10, track 7 of the 34 albums), beginning 'I got a postcard from you a day before yesterday', in ink on two overlapping sheets, the second with the word list 'Unfadable... Tracable... Unavoidable...'.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 272 — Oh the pain, picture 1 of 1
272Oh the pain
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten half lyric 'Oh the pain / Oh the humanity', about a man losing his sanity without a family, on a lined notebook sheet, published in Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 275 — HIDE AND SEEK, picture 1 of 1
275HIDE AND SEEK
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten half lyric HIDE AND SEEK, six boxed verses beginning 'Let me expand upon my plan', on a full lined sheet with a smaller lined strip reading 'I used to pray for wealth, yes / I used to pray for fame', published in Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 280 — IF YOU EVER LISTEN TO OUR SONG, picture 1 of 1
280IF YOU EVER LISTEN TO OUR SONG
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's previously unpublished handwritten poem IF YOU EVER LISTEN TO OUR SONG, a parting love lyric on a lined sheet with a second section written on a green sticky note stuck to the page.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 287 — I don't need to be treated like I'm a super star, picture 1 of 1
287I don't need to be treated like I'm a super star
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten short lyric I don't need to be treated like I'm a super star, which went into the song BEHAVE (set list 17, track 9), in black ink on a plain white sheet with blue and orange edits and bold orange marker lines below.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 292 — We ARE the New Rome, picture 1 of 1
292We ARE the New Rome
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short lyric We ARE the New Rome, comparing today's entertainment to the arena, in black ink on a plain sheet with research notes about the book Confessions of a CEO added in green ink.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 302 — Now is the time, picture 1 of 1
302Now is the time
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric Now is the time (to show me a sign), which went into the song SOMEWHERE (set list 8, track 12), in cursive on a torn three-hole lined sheet with syllable counts at the right.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 311 — I just lost another dealer, picture 1 of 1
311I just lost another dealer
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten pencil poem I just lost another dealer, an eight-line comic confession, on a loose-leaf sheet, published in his poem anthologies.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 312 — Stuttering A.A. Anthem, picture 1 of 1
312Stuttering A.A. Anthem
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten four-line poem Stuttering A.A. Anthem (First we took a drink / And then the drink took us), on a lined sheet, published in his poem anthologies.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 313 — Imagine a prejudiced kid, picture 1 of 1
313Imagine a prejudiced kid
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem Imagine a prejudiced kid (slowly uniting the races), on a plain white sheet with two bracketed rhyme-word banks worked out below the stanza, published in his poem anthologies.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 315 — La La La La La La, picture 1 of 1
315La La La La La La
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten satirical lyric La La La La La La, with political lines on the Taliban, Obama and Bill Clinton, which went into the song SUNDAY MORNING SEX (set list 17, track 8), on a white sheet.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 316 — Free Masons want to rule the world, picture 1 of 2
316Free Masons want to rule the world
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten political lyric Free Masons want to rule the world, in brown ink on a torn lined sheet that also carries his pencil plan for organizing his song catalogue, with a second sheet of green-ink notes, published in his poem anthologies.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 322 — She melts carbon steel, picture 1 of 1
322She melts carbon steel
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem She melts carbon steel (EYE CANDY for the blind), on a tiny torn strip of spiral notebook paper, published in Tom's Anthology of September 18, 2011.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 329 — all I need is one believer, picture 1 of 1
329all I need is one believer
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten poem all I need is one believer, on a torn loose-leaf sheet with the lines renumbered in red in the margin and a red note Society at large, published in Brian Rainstorm: Poetry Not Dead (2014).
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 333 — I'll Teach Some History, picture 1 of 1
333I'll Teach Some History
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem I'll Teach Some History, about learning from your mistakes, on a lined sheet, published in his poem anthologies.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 355 — Dollar Bill Clinton has really got me annoyed, picture 1 of 1
355Dollar Bill Clinton has really got me annoyed
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten political poem Dollar Bill Clinton has really got me annoyed, on a lined sheet, published in his poem anthologies.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 445 — Another Sleepless Night as Rain Falls From the Sky, picture 1 of 1
445Another Sleepless Night as Rain Falls From the Sky
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten blue-ink cursive poem Another sleepless night as rain falls from the sky (one more cigarette and I ask myself why), on a single worn sheet, published in the 34 albums.
the card says: written at age 18 to 23
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 452 — I Said Here Comes the Money Honey, picture 1 of 4
452I Said Here Comes the Money Honey
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
LOOSE LYRICS, ONE-LINERS AND RHYME WORD BANKS
Tom's long taped loose-leaf lyric in ink, I SAID Here Comes the money honey (ending FREE OURSELVES FROM FEAR), published in his poem anthologies, photographed with three loose lined slips: Got lost inside a mall with Time for another game, I only meet people in public places signed Brian RainStorm, and A cornicopia of catnip on the carpet.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 4 pictures
Item 498 — Tell Me Which Side You're On, picture 1 of 1
498Tell Me Which Side You're On
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's previously unpublished two-line handwritten poem Tell me which side you're on - do you or don't you Read Tom?, in blue ink on a single sheet.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 499 — I had a glass of wine and I felt, picture 1 of 1
499I had a glass of wine and I felt
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten black-ink poem I had a glass of wine and I felt fine (like Marco Polo, I wanted to explore), which went into the song BIRTHRIGHT (set list 10, track 9), on a single sheet.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 500 — WHAT I DO, picture 1 of 1
500WHAT I DO
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem WHAT I DO (The weight of the world falls upon my shoulders), on a single unlined sheet of white printer paper, published in 200 Poems Waiting For Music.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 503 — Show me a liar once, picture 1 of 2
503Show me a liar once
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem Show me a liar once and I'll show you a liar twice, with stanza syllable counts and large orange lettering on the page, published in 200 Poems Waiting For Music, together with a second sheet under the same number headed SLAP ME in big bubble letters (I'm getting angry... unhappy / If I start crying... Please slap me).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest for SHOW ME A LIAR; written by age 32 at the latest for the SLAP ME sheet
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 509 — Sure she's got some pie on the thigh, picture 1 of 5
509Sure she's got some pie on the thigh
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten comic love poem Sure she's got some pie on the thigh (she still turns my head), on loose-leaf, together with sheets of related verses including I share my darkness with the morning and Perhaps I'm being too critical of the society in which we live, published in 200 Poems Waiting For Music.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 5 pictures
Item 537 — I've been waiting for my baby, picture 1 of 2
537I've been waiting for my baby
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten love poem I've been waiting for my baby longer than anyone should, on a spiral-torn lined sheet, published in his poem anthologies and Brian Rainstorm: Poetry Not Dead.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 539 — I'm the kid in the class who likes to clown, picture 1 of 2
539I'm the kid in the class who likes to clown
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric I'm the kid in the class who likes to clown (if you missed what was said I wrote it down), which went into the song PEN AND PAPER (set list 1, track 4), on a torn spiral-pad sheet.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 547 — Go Away, Don't Go Away, I Don't Need You Any More, picture 1 of 2
547Go Away, Don't Go Away, I Don't Need You Any More
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten pencil poem go away, don't go away, I don't need you any more, addressed to his guitar with the note dear guitar up the left margin, on a spiral-torn lined sheet, published in 200 Poems Waiting For Music.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 548 — Funny how I quit believing once I started bleeding, picture 1 of 2
548Funny how I quit believing once I started bleeding
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem Funny how I quit believing once I started bleeding, an angry argument with God, on a lined sheet.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 552 — My Eastern Love, picture 1 of 2
552My Eastern Love
written by 2011 at the latest (age 32) - book day not found, the later year is used - it may be older
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten love lyric MY EASTERN LOVE (As time crawls by and I stare above, I dream of you), tied to the song FRESCO (song list 5, track 5), in pen on three-hole-punched lined paper.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 565 — There ain't no money in saving the world, picture 1 of 2
565There ain't no money in saving the world
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem THERE AIN'T NO MONEY IN SAVING THE WORLD, in pen on a torn sheet of lined notebook paper with small doodles and a hand-drawn A B C rhyme box, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
568RATED R · on the adults-only pages
Item 579 — Everything that was once important, picture 1 of 2
579Everything that was once important
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem EVERYTHING THAT WAS ONCE IMPORTANT, in blue ink on a torn sheet of lined loose-leaf, about the ideals he once wrote down so proudly making an about-face turn, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 582 — SWIMMING COWS, picture 1 of 2
582SWIMMING COWS
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem SWIMMING COWS, partly in faint pencil on a torn spiral-notebook sheet, a story that begins with a sinking boat, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 585 — Sitting here alone, picture 1 of 1
585Sitting here alone
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short song lyric SITTING HERE ALONE, in blue ink on a sheet torn from a spiral notebook, about watching the clock and the door and wondering whether to go home, from his 34 albums and published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 629 — Turn all that negativity, picture 1 of 2
629Turn all that negativity
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem TURN ALL THAT NEGATIVITY, on a folded plain white sheet with a few more lines inside, about turning negativity into positive energy and ending up where you're supposed to be, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 635 — I Don't Hide Who I Am, picture 1 of 1
635I Don't Hide Who I Am
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem I DON'T HIDE WHO I AM, in ink on a torn sheet of ruled loose-leaf with a boxed verse and the line 'The best place for a lie is in between two truths', beside a see-saw rhyme about ups and downs, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 651 — So now you wish you never, picture 1 of 2
651So now you wish you never
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short lyric SO NOW YOU WISH YOU NEVER, in dark marker on a white sheet, opening 'So now you wish you never / met me... / Just because you couldn't / get me', which became the song BEAST (set list 18, track 5) in his 34 albums.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 652 — Well the mountains have no snow, picture 1 of 2
652Well the mountains have no snow
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem WELL THE MOUNTAINS HAVE NO SNOW, on lined loose-leaf with a pink sticky note reading 'I RABBLE THE ROUSE / I BURN DOWN THE HOUSE' attached, about the turn of the seasons, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 653 — I Found Myself Being Happy, picture 1 of 1
653I Found Myself Being Happy
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem I FOUND MYSELF BEING HAPPY, written over scribbles on a torn sheet of lined notebook paper, about finding happiness yesterday sitting alone in the sun, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 654 — People's word it ain't what it used to be, picture 1 of 2
654People's word it ain't what it used to be
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric PEOPLE'S WORD IT AIN'T WHAT IT USED TO BE, in ink on a lined legal sheet with a bracket and 1/2, 3/4 marks in the margin, about promises no longer meaning much, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 660 — There are too many lives lacking purpose, picture 1 of 2
660There are too many lives lacking purpose
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem THERE ARE TOO MANY LIVES LACKING PURPOSE, in black ink on a yellowed sheet of lined loose-leaf with frayed edges, about misplaced ambition and the point of existence, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 661 — Caught up in the rat race of time, picture 1 of 2
661Caught up in the rat race of time
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's lyric sheet CAUGHT UP IN THE RAT RACE OF TIME, a white sheet turned landscape with the poem, four added handwritten lines and his handwritten rhyme-word list (fantasy, franchise, divorcee, pedigree), from his 34 albums and published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 670 — Down in Manchester Bay, picture 1 of 2
670Down in Manchester Bay
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric DOWN IN MANCHESTER BAY, in black ink on lined loose-leaf with a torn right edge and one passage blacked out, about a place where the seagulls no longer fly, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 675 — You know I lived in a camper once, picture 1 of 2
675You know I lived in a camper once
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem YOU KNOW I LIVED IN A CAMPER ONCE, on lined loose-leaf with three boxed verses and 'Rework' written in the margin, a comic look back at the camper days, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 698 — No I never been to disney land, picture 1 of 2
698No I never been to disney land
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten cursive draft of the poem that became the song INNOCENCE LOST (set list 7, track 8, in the 34 Albums), an average-Joe lyric beginning "No I never been to disney land" on lined notebook paper, with a boxed stanza and Tom's own verdict "SUCKS" written beside it.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 712 — Johanna / I finally put a name to a face, picture 1 of 2
712Johanna / I finally put a name to a face
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten love poem JOHANNA ("I finally put a name to a face / And such a beautiful face"), on a sheet of loose-leaf notebook paper with the alternate title "Joe Anna" crossed out, published in 200 Poems Waiting For Music (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 766 — MOURNING IN THE MORNING, picture 1 of 2
766MOURNING IN THE MORNING
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten full poem MOURNING IN THE MORNING ("Mother may she sleep in peace"), a poem of grief in blue ink under a bubble-letter title on torn-edged lined notebook paper, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 774 — It's always raining here in Boston, picture 1 of 2
774It's always raining here in Boston
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten pencil lyric IT'S ALWAYS RAINING HERE IN BOSTON, on a water-stained sheet torn from a spiral notebook, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 781 — I had a thought and I lost it, it happens a lot here in Boston, picture 1 of 2
781I had a thought and I lost it, it happens a lot here in Boston
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem I HAD A THOUGHT AND I LOST IT, IT HAPPENS A LOT HERE IN BOSTON, begun in red ink and finished in black on a torn spiral notebook sheet, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 782 — Prime time TV... What the hell did you do to me?, picture 1 of 2
782Prime time TV... What the hell did you do to me?
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric PRIME TIME TV... WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO ME?, a jab at television, on three-hole lined loose-leaf, published in Brian Rainstorm: Poetry Not Dead (2014).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 784 — Since we're playing the blame game, here are some names..., picture 1 of 4
784Since we're playing the blame game, here are some names...
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric SINCE WE'RE PLAYING THE BLAME GAME, HERE ARE SOME NAMES, written on both sides of a sheet of lined loose-leaf with lines in capitals such as "I CAN'T DROP SCIENCE OR WIN BY USING LOGIC", published in Brian Rainstorm: Poetry Not Dead (2014).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 4 pictures
Item 793 — The scenery is changing, picture 1 of 2
793The scenery is changing
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric THE SCENERY IS CHANGING ("The sky is growing bluer / No more loose ends"), on a torn sheet of spiral notebook paper, published in 200 Poems Waiting For Music (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 800 — Tonight, picture 1 of 6
800Tonight
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's working drafts of the poem TONIGHT ("I'm writing my last will and testament"): two typed sheets heavily reworked by hand in ink and pencil with cross-outs and syllable counts, plus two handwritten drafts on lined paper, published in Brian Rainstorm: Poetry Not Dead (2014).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 6 pictures
Item 803 — Duet with the sea, picture 1 of 5
803Duet with the sea
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's working pages for the poem DUET WITH THE SEA ("I walk the beach this summer's day"), a typed version marked up with his handwritten edits together with handwritten lined sheets of the lyric and his notes on it, published in Brian Rainstorm: Poetry Not Dead (2014).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 5 pictures
Item 805 — I've got one of the greatest minds of all time, picture 1 of 2
805I've got one of the greatest minds of all time
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's short lyric beginning "I've got one of the greatest minds of all time", kept on a torn piece of a printed freezer-bag box, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 814 — I won - the game is over now that, picture 1 of 2
814I won - the game is over now that
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem I WON - THE GAME IS OVER NOW THAT SHE'LL COME BACK TO ME, on a small top-bound spiral notepad sheet, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 820 — I wrote your eulogy, picture 1 of 2
820I wrote your eulogy
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem I WROTE YOUR EULOGY ("got what I'll read in my head"), on a small torn-off scrap of spiral notepad paper, published in Brian Rainstorm: Poetry Not Dead (2014).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 821 — Half way around the world, picture 1 of 4
821Half way around the world
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric HALF WAY AROUND THE WORLD ("She flies wherever her wings will take her"), a song to a lady of the wind in blue cursive across two small torn notepad sheets, published in Brian Rainstorm: Poetry Not Dead (2014).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 4 pictures
Item 825 — Dare To Be Bigger Than The Machine, picture 1 of 2
825Dare To Be Bigger Than The Machine
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric DARE TO BE BIGGER THAN THE MACHINE ("Nothing can stop or steal your dreams"), in pencil with a dark-ink wordplay on steal and steel, on a small torn spiral notebook scrap, published in Brian Rainstorm: Poetry Not Dead (2014).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 855 — I'm the exception to your rule, picture 1 of 2
855I'm the exception to your rule
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten two-line poem "I'm the exception to your rule / Haven't had six beers in a hundred years," in cursive at the top of a lined legal-size sheet; published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013) and Tom's Anthology.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 892 — Every morning the gease fly by my window, picture 1 of 2
892Every morning the gease fly by my window
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem "Every morning the geese fly by my window / usually just as I'm getting ready for bed," with his pen drawing of a curly-haired figure, on a torn spiral-pad sheet of lined paper; previously unpublished.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 904 — I don't know why I even try to get through to you, picture 1 of 3
904I don't know why I even try to get through to you
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
LOOSE LYRICS, ONE-LINERS AND RHYME WORD BANKS
Tom's handwritten lyric line "I don't know why I even try to get through to you," written on the back of a printed book-review page.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 914 — Refridgerator Poems, picture 1 of 2
914Refridgerator Poems
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem under the bubble-letter title Refrigerator Poems, beginning "I've been wasting time like I'm gonna live forever," about being a shepherd or a sheep, written on a sheet of lined notebook paper with a cut-off corner; published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 915 — So Many Of My Friends, picture 1 of 3
915So Many Of My Friends
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem "So many of my friends / like to play pretend / I swear I am not what you see," in pencil on a small torn spiral sheet laid over a second lined sheet; published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013) and Brian Rainstorm: Poetry Not Dead (2014).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 926 — It's time to get my head back in the game, picture 1 of 2
926It's time to get my head back in the game
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lines "It's time to get my head back in the game / I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired," five lines at the top of a sheet of lined notebook paper; published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013) and Brian Rainstorm: Poetry Not Dead (2014).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 929 — I'm now standing on this precipice of newly found freedom, picture 1 of 2
929I'm now standing on this precipice of newly found freedom
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem "I'm now standing on this precipice of newly found freedom," leaving a mess behind in the rear view, in ink on a lined legal sheet; published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013) and Tom's Anthology.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 930 — I'm so glad I'm not a celebrity, picture 1 of 2
930I'm so glad I'm not a celebrity
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem "I'm so glad I'm not a celebrity / It would be so easy / To dig up the dirt on me," in pencil on a lined legal sheet, with his purple sticky note marked TYPED; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013) and Brian Rainstorm: Poetry Not Dead (2014).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 931 — You're my poison apple, picture 1 of 2
931You're my poison apple
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem "You're my poison apple / So bright and shiny on the outside," a joke about Snow White, on a lined legal sheet; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013) and Tom's Anthology.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
935RATED R · on the adults-only pages
Item 940 — I am the rules, picture 1 of 3
940I am the rules
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric pieces "(to go in) I am the rules" and "We do business as business is being done," with a second lined sheet beginning "My inspiration is fleeting / like two old friends meeting," in ink on lined notebook paper; a lyric from the 34 Albums, published in Shorter Lyrics (2013) and the Brian Rainstorm Song Lyric Book (2014).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 941 — looking back at my reflection in a dirty window, picture 1 of 2
941looking back at my reflection in a dirty window
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten three-line poem "Looking back at my reflection in a dirty window / looking forward to better times ahead," in cursive on a lined legal sheet; published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013) and Brian Rainstorm: Poetry Not Dead (2014).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 958 — The race remains the same., picture 1 of 1
958The race remains the same.
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem "The race remains the same. / There's just more competition," in cursive on a sheet of lined notebook paper with a torn spiral edge; published in Tom's Anthology (2011).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 993 — Was it something I did say, picture 1 of 2
993Was it something I did say
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric WAS IT SOMETHING I DID SAY in ink on a ragged-edged sheet of lined notebook paper with a pen scribble below, which became the song PERFECT IMPERFECTIONS (song list 3, track 3) in the 34 Albums - about the little blemishes that make love real.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 999 — I'm gonna go to Hawaii, yeah..., picture 1 of 2
999I'm gonna go to Hawaii, yeah...
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten four-line poem I'M GONNA GO TO HAWAII, YEAH... on a plain white sheet - pull a Jimmy Hoffa and disappear without packing a bag; in the 34 Albums and published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 1006 — I open the window, picture 1 of 2
1006I open the window
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem I OPEN THE WINDOW on a torn piece of lined paper, some words gone over in heavier ink, about seeing victory but tasting defeat as another victim of the pot and bottle; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 1015 — Random thoughts go pop, pop, pop, picture 1 of 1
1015Random thoughts go pop, pop, pop
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten two-line poem RANDOM THOUGHTS GO POP, POP, POP on a single sheet of spiral notebook paper, about a mind that starts roaming and won't stop; published in Tom's Anthology (2011).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 1016 — Finally the time has come..., picture 1 of 1
1016Finally the time has come...
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem FINALLY THE TIME HAS COME... in dark ink on a torn sheet of lined notebook paper, a defiant message to the president; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013) and written when Tom was between 18 and 23.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 1018 — Waiting for monkeys to evolve, picture 1 of 1
1018Waiting for monkeys to evolve
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem WAITING FOR MONKEYS TO EVOLVE on a torn-edged sheet of spiral notebook paper, telling a child they could be doing so much more; published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013) and written when Tom was between 18 and 23.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 1019 — Who could forget it? Another life..., picture 1 of 1
1019Who could forget it? Another life...
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's short poem WHO COULD FORGET IT? ANOTHER LIFE..., handwritten in cursive on a torn sheet of lined notebook paper - regrets are pathetic, my quote of the day; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013) and written when Tom was between 18 and 23.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 1023 — Get out while you still have your skin, picture 1 of 2
1023Get out while you still have your skin
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten two-line poem GET OUT WHILE YOU STILL HAVE YOUR SKIN on a torn piece of lined notebook paper with a large piece missing - tomorrow you can try again; never before published.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 1024 — Don't give in to the paradox, picture 1 of 2
1024Don't give in to the paradox
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem DON'T GIVE IN TO THE PARADOX, written on a stained, torn sheet of lined notebook paper, about living in sin while preaching and not having to try everything; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013) and written when Tom was between 18 and 23.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 1029 — My wife awaits, picture 1 of 1
1029My wife awaits
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten comic poem MY WIFE AWAITS in cursive on a torn-edged sheet of lined notebook paper, a setup-and-punchline about who is waiting at home with his wife - it is only their cat; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 1030 — Somewhere in here, picture 1 of 1
1030Somewhere in here
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem SOMEWHERE IN HERE in cursive on a torn sheet of spiral notebook paper, about something greater than himself and the beautiful bride who changed his life in the blink of an eye; published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 1035 — If you ask them, picture 1 of 2
1035If you ask them
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's short poem IF YOU ASK THEM, handwritten in blue ink on lined notebook paper - they'll say they're doing fine, but ask me and I'll give you a piece of my mind; published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 1037 — The fences are getting taller, picture 1 of 4
1037The fences are getting taller
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric lines on two sheets of torn-edged loose-leaf - THE FENCES ARE GETTING TALLER and I SCARED MYSELF TODAY, with syllable counts in the margin - which went into the song SKY AND LIGHT (set list 8, track 4) in the 34 Albums.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 4 pictures
Item 1055 — I know a man who lives by the book, picture 1 of 2
1055I know a man who lives by the book
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's short poem I KNOW A MAN WHO LIVES BY THE BOOK, handwritten in red ink on lined notebook paper - when life throws you a curve ball, you better duck; published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 1059 — Line em up, picture 1 of 2
1059Line em up
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem LINE EM UP in ink on lined notebook paper - I know I'm gonna make it, and the line forms to the right; published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 1063 — Sitting here, picture 1 of 1
1063Sitting here
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem SITTING HERE on a torn-edged sheet of lined notebook paper, about feeling alone in a crowd and wishing for a different scene outside the window; published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 1065 — I've been pondering, picture 1 of 1
1065I've been pondering
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem I'VE BEEN PONDERING on a torn sheet of white lined notebook paper, with a line crossed out in purple - pondering, wondering, pawning, with nothing left to trade; published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 1071 — But things aren't always what they seem, picture 1 of 6
1071But things aren't always what they seem
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
LOOSE LYRICS, ONE-LINERS AND RHYME WORD BANKS
Tom's handwritten lyric notes on lined and spiral notebook sheets - the four-line poem BUT THINGS AREN'T ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM, about wanting to live somebody else's dream, with a rhyme word bank of his working words; the poem is published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 6 pictures
Item 1076 — You know you were drinking far too long, picture 1 of 1
1076You know you were drinking far too long
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's ballpoint draft of the comic poem YOU KNOW YOU WERE DRINKING FAR TOO LONG on a sheet of loose-leaf torn from a binder, with crossings-out - living in a Jimmy Buffett song and blaming the tequila, not the worm; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 1077 — I woke up hungover and feeling depressed, picture 1 of 2
1077I woke up hungover and feeling depressed
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's comic poem I WOKE UP HUNGOVER AND FEELING DEPRESSED, handwritten in green ink on lined notebook paper, a bawdy morning-after tale; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 1595 — QUOTES ABOUT SONGS, picture 1 of 4
1595QUOTES ABOUT SONGS
written by 2011 at the latest (age 32) - book day not found, the later year is used - it may be older
LOOSE LYRICS, ONE-LINERS AND RHYME WORD BANKS
Printed pages of quotes about songs gathered from YouTube commenters on Tom's lyric channels, with a torn scrap of lined paper, kept with his printed book ONLY THE BEST.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 4 pictures
Item 1921 — CHECKED-OFF SONG TITLE ROLLS, picture 1 of 7
1921CHECKED-OFF SONG TITLE ROLLS
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
SET LISTS, SONG LISTS, TITLE LISTS AND INDEXES
Long printed paper rolls and taped strips listing Tom's song titles alphabetically from candy rapper superstar onward, each title checked off by hand as Tom worked through his catalogue.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 7 pictures
Item 1963 — POEM INDEX, picture 1 of 5
1963POEM INDEX
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
SET LISTS, SONG LISTS, TITLE LISTS AND INDEXES
A long printout of Tom's POEM INDEX, pages taped together and folded, listing his poem titles alphabetically from Advice and Alcohol to Wheat and Chaff, with handwritten headers and numbers.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 5 pictures
Item 1969 — THE TOM AND TOM SONG, picture 1 of 3
1969THE TOM AND TOM SONG
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Printed sheets, joined together, of Tom's comic piece THE TOM AND TOM SONG about the musicians he works with, with stage directions for the video, together with a printed page of his poem STUPID GOD FREAKS (I am still alive).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 1990 — WHEN WE FIRST MET I KNEW YOU WEREN'T ORDINARY, picture 1 of 3
1990WHEN WE FIRST MET I KNEW YOU WEREN'T ORDINARY
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's working sheet for an untitled love poem beginning When we first met I knew you weren't ordinary - printed on one side, its first three stanzas crossed through in pencil and a new last line written in by hand, with the pencil lines Dawn is nearing, the fog is clearing on the creased back - kept with a BRIAN RAINSTORM sheet, a party-starter sheet and a small FIND MATCHING ITEM note.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 19 — GO AWAY, picture 1 of 2
19GO AWAY
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten black-marker poem GO AWAY ("Go away, Don't go away / I don't need you any more"), written on the back of a page of the Peabody and Lynnfield Weekly News; a version of this chorus is in the poem WHO KNOWS YOU in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013) and earlier books, but these exact words are not in any book.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 100 — When she calls you up, picture 1 of 1
100When she calls you up
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten untitled love lyric "When she calls you up / You drop everything," on a spiral-torn loose-leaf sheet.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 103 — JUST ANOTHER MEMORY, picture 1 of 1
103JUST ANOTHER MEMORY
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten love poem JUST ANOTHER MEMORY ("Close your eyes, can you still see me? / Listen to my song written for someone so dear to me"), on a loose-leaf sheet with a bubble-letter title.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 122 — This is a new song, picture 1 of 1
122This is a new song
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten brown-ink lyric "This is a new song, my latest hit / I didn't want to write it / But I don't know how to quit," about writing through a self-exile, on a plain white sheet.
the card says: written by age 32 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 206 — I Told Myself That I'm Willing To Wait, picture 1 of 2
206I Told Myself That I'm Willing To Wait
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older BEST GUESS
LOOSE LYRICS, ONE-LINERS AND RHYME WORD BANKS
Tom's handwritten rhyme-bank worksheets on two lined sheets: one for the lyric NEVER BE, beginning 'I told myself that I'm willing to wait', with rhyme labels and families of rhyme words; the second for a different lyric, TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN, beginning 'Standing alone on top of this mountain', with rhyme labels and syllable counts.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 309 — I got about thirty seconds, picture 1 of 1
309I got about thirty seconds
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten poem I got about thirty seconds (to get inside your head), published in Tom's Anthology of September 18, 2011, in black ink on a sheet crowded with crossings-out and margin notes.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 314 — Like the crooked picture hanging in your hall, picture 1 of 3
314Like the crooked picture hanging in your hall
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten two-page lyric Like the crooked picture hanging in the hall (hanging on by a nail, ready to fall), with a second page beginning One more beer and then I'm going home, a working draft of the song FRAMES (song list 7, track 2 of the 34 albums), with syllable counts and revisions; the sheet's wording differs from the printed song.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 3 pictures
Item 328 — When she smiles I frown, picture 1 of 1
328When she smiles I frown
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten pencil poem When she smiles I frown, about nine years of never finding the courage for a kiss, on a spiral-torn lined sheet, published in his poem anthologies.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 365 — The Truth of Life Must Be Learned, picture 1 of 1
365The Truth of Life Must Be Learned
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten eight-line lyric The truth of life must be learned (I'm realizing it now while your picture burns), with struck-out words, published in the 34 albums.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 367 — I Can Never Get To Sleep, picture 1 of 1
367I Can Never Get To Sleep
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem I can never get to sleep (there's always somebody knockin' on my door), on a lined sheet with a large ink drawing of a moon, a cratered planet and a figure, published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 451 — The poor living off the rich, picture 1 of 1
451The poor living off the rich
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten pen lyric opening The poor living off the rich, an angry prediction that we are all going to hell real fast, on a numbered ledger-style sheet, published in Shorter Lyrics and his anthologies.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 501 — Tired of putting work in, picture 1 of 6
501Tired of putting work in
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric Tired of putting work in, which became the song PENDULUM (song list 10, track 9), with verses, refrain and bridge worked out across lined sheets, kept with lines beginning Napalm smells like victory written on the back of a printout.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 6 pictures
Item 541 — So many things I long to tell you, picture 1 of 2
541So many things I long to tell you
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem So many things I long to tell you (and I know how much you hurt inside, but it gets a little better everyday), on a torn lined sheet, published in 200 Poems Waiting For Music.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 586 — I searched for a paradise lost, picture 1 of 2
586I searched for a paradise lost
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten cursive lyric I SEARCHED FOR A PARADISE LOST, on a sheet torn from a spiral notebook with the first verse crossed out; a working draft: one verse became the song ANOTHER QUARTER (set list 20, track 13) in his 34 albums, and the rest is an early draft of his poem UNTIL GOD KILLS ME (FOR ALL MY BLASPHEMY).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 628 — Cold Slabbed And Toe Tagged, picture 1 of 5
628Cold Slabbed And Toe Tagged
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's previously unpublished handwritten lyric COLD SLABBED AND TOE TAGGED, seven lines in ink in a one-subject spiral school notebook about a body sent home to mama in a plastic bag with a flag and a priest at the door, with a second page in the same notebook beginning My Love is one thousand days dead.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 5 pictures
Item 794 — The town was empty the streets were clear, picture 1 of 2
794The town was empty the streets were clear
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten full poem THE TOWN WAS EMPTY THE STREETS WERE CLEAR, in dark ink on a torn-edge sheet of lined notebook paper, from his early yellow binder years (ages 18 to 23) and published in 200 Poems Waiting For Music (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 797 — The only face I see in the mirror, picture 1 of 2
797The only face I see in the mirror
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten full lyric THE ONLY FACE I SEE IN THE MIRROR ("Belongs to me for it is my own"), ending "Me, myself and I", on a sheet torn from a spiral notebook; the lyric is in the 34 Albums and 200 Poems Waiting For Music (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 798 — I'm writing my last will and testament, picture 1 of 1
798I'm writing my last will and testament
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem I'M WRITING MY LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT, with the lines "I wrote a letter to myself / But it was meant for someone else" set apart at the bottom, on three-hole lined loose-leaf with a torn right edge - an early draft of the poem later called QUESTIONS AND ANSWER, first in print in Tom's Anthology, September 18, 2011.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 801 — When she smiles I frown, picture 1 of 2
801When she smiles I frown
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric WHEN SHE SMILES I FROWN ("I picked her up, can't put her down"), on a torn, yellowed sheet of spiral notebook paper, from his early yellow binder years (ages 18 to 23).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 831 — I spotted your car in the, picture 1 of 2
831I spotted your car in the
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten, never-published short poem I SPOTTED YOUR CAR IN THE PARKING LOT, in black ink on a torn sheet of lined notebook paper.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 848 — The town was empty the streets were clear, picture 1 of 1
848The town was empty the streets were clear
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem "The town was empty the streets were clear," on a sheet of lined notebook paper, one of the early poems from his yellow binder index; previously unpublished.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 953 — This is no type of world in which to play, picture 1 of 2
953This is no type of world in which to play
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem "This is no type of world in which to play," ending "Can you hear me speaking to you / my unborn son?" in cursive on a torn sheet of lined loose-leaf; published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013) and Tom's Anthology.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 955 — Caught up in the ratrace of time, picture 1 of 1
955Caught up in the ratrace of time
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem beginning "Caught up in the ratrace of time," on a torn-edged sheet of lined notebook paper.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 986 — A crashing wave of thought, picture 1 of 2
986A crashing wave of thought
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's working draft of the poem A CRASHING WAVE OF THOUGHT on a torn sheet of lined notebook paper, full of scribbles, arrows, crossed-out lines, RIP in the margin and his own note need more lyrics; among the first poems in his early binder, it is in the 34 Albums and 200 Poems Waiting For Music (2013).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 1066 — I guess it took me awhile, picture 1 of 2
1066I guess it took me awhile
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS IN POEMS BY TOM
Tom's four-line poem I GUESS IT TOOK ME AWHILE, written in faint pencil at the top of a plain white sheet, about taking a while to know what he wanted to do; published in Poems By Tom (2007).
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 2 pictures
Item 1946 — JULIA'S GARDEN, picture 1 of 4
1946JULIA'S GARDEN
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's working pages for the poem JULIA'S GARDEN (song list 10, track 12 of the 34 albums) - a printed copy with the rhyme scheme circled by hand, pink handwritten studio notes on the recording, and a lined sheet of rhyme pairs.
the card says: written by age 33 at the latest
See the whole card → 4 pictures
Item 5 — I was Waiting... Searching... For the love of my life, picture 1 of 1
5I was Waiting... Searching... For the love of my life
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older NOT SURE
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten draft of the poem that begins "I was Waiting... Searching... For the love of my life," about memories of a past marriage that keep turning like pages, on two overlapping loose-leaf sheets with a crossed-out opening and circled verse numbers, published in A Lifetime Of Rhyme (2020).
The sources disagree about the first book that holds these words, so the date is not sure. 2011 is the latest it can be.
See the whole card → 1 picture
Item 1005 — I happened to read it..., picture 1 of 2
1005I happened to read it...
written by September 2011 at the latest (age 33) - it may be older BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten four-line poem I HAPPENED TO READ IT... on a plain white sheet, about a message that was quickly deleted but still left its thought out there; never before published.
the card says: written by September 18, 2011 at the latest (age 33)
See the whole card → 2 pictures
MEMORABILIA FROM THIS STORY
Every card on this page is a real piece — 289 pieces.
IF YOU LIKE THIS, TRY:
TOM'S STORY: 2010
TOM'S STORY: 2012
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.

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