I keep a close watch on this heart of mine

I crawled out of bed hatefully this morning. I crawl out of bed hatefully anytime I get up before nine. With my eyes sticky and half-closed I dragged my butt to the bathroom. In the hall my roommate's clock radio is playing Johnny Cash. After I shower the radio station is still playing Johnny Cash. Uh oh. I go into my room and catch the NPR obituary.

I first started listening to Cash back in my early teens. My grandmother had a few of his cassette tapes featuring his biggest hits, old and new. I borrowed them to record and never gave them back. I still feel bad about that.

I don't know what more I can say about you, Johnny Cash other than Dylan thought you was "the bomb," I try to play your songs on guitar, your first album with Rick Rubin was the album I had been waiting ten years for and it is Rubin's ticket to heaven and when I heard you had died I got the sniffles.

On June's album "Press on" that came out a couple of years ago you and she sang a duet that was about meeting in heaven. I reckon a few hours ago that meeting took place.