Walk

Bookworm, head of the class
And me trying not to be shy in the back
The back of your head is nice
I liked the view I got
I was always worried about money then
I remember when you asked me if we could walk instead of bike
I agreed and you bought me toast
Oh, how quickly we became friends
I miss Eduardo Dato
A crowded classroom on a narrow street
Windows open to escape the heat
A new view in the Palacio, facing seats
I liked when you sat next to me
If I ever walk those streets again I will cry
Hopefully with you by my side
Yo echo de menos mi bici y mi vida
I hope they miss me too

Significance

Your significance
Is not your value,
Nor your purpose,
Nor your source of meaning;
For you are priceless
Free spirited
And impossible to pin down.
Your existence,
Delightful as it is,
Is as arbitrary as your freckles
And as profound.
The consequence,
For better or for worse,
Of love,
Is your significance.

Inarticulate

It came, in vain, like hemophilia
Pouring my heart out, page after page
The ink and drink, fuel for my feelings
Finished, crumpled, thrown away
Tongue-tied, teachers ease articulation
Still could not find the words to say
In workshops and anonymous circles
Met indecision and uncertainty
At last, in mind, found peace and passion
When mind is sound hear thoughts of mine
Forget the notes and rote confessions
Between the lines we shine

Babel

In my travels I have found there are too many words
Mud in an otherwise clear pool
From Babel on unending, til kingdom finally come
People, I fear, are destined to confuse

Emotion, unlike speaking, is the bridge between our selves
People, I have found, are people, no matter where
Were but there only two of us, my love and I alone
For two people with nothing easily share

When thus my words betray my thoughts, give thought to thought my dear
Share my sentiment instead and in that, the truth, you'll hear

Bokonon

Must everything have purpose
Well absolutely yes
Then I leave it up to you
To find a meaning for all of this
God then turned and left
Man conscious of his breath
Started desperately searching
Like a man afraid of death
Then stopped cold in his tracks
For fear of heart attack
If the search itself proves fatal
Then the question should be asked
Can the answer even be found?
While I'm still around?
If I find it will it lift me up
Or simply weigh me down?

Fair

He wanted something he couldn't have.
Onlookers shrugged and said 'too bad,
That's very sad,
But who ever told you life was fair?'
He thought back on memories he didn't have.
Surely someone had.
His dad?
If no one ever put that idea in his head,
Then why did he expect something he would never get.

Universe

Staring at a cloudless sky
From a crowded hill
On a cloudless night
I look at you and ask 'are we alone?'
You look around and say 'I don't know.
But I don't think so, do you?'

Forest

The outcast protested innocence
Til his judgement day
He was pushed away
Couldn't see the forest or his city grow
For the trees got in the way

Wandered lost til he found a field
The skyline peaked
The forest breathed
Thought back on what was asked of him
He put his mind at ease

Confessed his guilt at his city's gate
Yes, you were wrong
You were so alone
Trust must build and you must change
But outcast, welcome home

Sirens

Monsters under beds, held back by night lights
Shadows on alley walls in a dangerous city
Painkilling kit in the medicine cabinet
Sirens never ending outside

Skydiving friends, adrenaline junkies
Traveling friends, come back with a story
Drunk driving friends, let's have another
Sirens never ending outside

Burglar alarms, right to bear arms
Monsters in closets and drawers
Have reckless abandon or be otherwise consumed
Sirens never ending outside

Wheat

Pretty little girl, so proud of her flower
Dances in the wheat
Her fathers voice catches her
Says time to come in
She feels the cold breeze that blows before a storm
But she loves the rain
She is not afraid

Heart

Under thatched roof, in open savannah, Spinster weaves a tale
Flames a flicker, children gasping, at a story of betrayal
Far away and long ago, a young man chosen for his heart
Fortune smiled upon him, a wicked smile, and tore the man apart
Heart-man generous, Heart-man brave, Heart-man trust in everyone
Heart-man loses, Heart-man shamed, Fortune laughing at her son
Man with heart makes many friends, Spinster tells the kids
But hearts and men can both be broken, friendships can change with the wind
Heart-man learn, Heart-man grow, he meet new friend, her name Fate
Fate's sister Charm also like Heart-man, Fate tell Charm she has to wait
Fate show Heart-man happy future, he tell her that he will share
Impatience urges Charm, she curses Heart-man, he thinks Fate no longer there
Blinded by Charm, Heart-man is happy. Twisted, Fate seeks revenge
She will make Heart-man a very smart man so his happiness will end
Now cursed by wisdom, Heart-man wallows, he wanders far, discovers Truth
She is sad, lonely and naked, he offers clothes but she refuse
She say who are you, he say no one, she is so angry at his lies
I see right through you, you are Heart-man, see through me to see your life
So he learned his mother scorned him and of thieves and men of pride
He learned of reasons for some treasons and why friends may switch their sides
But Spinster is it true that Zebra cannot change his stripes
Not for me to say wise child, Zebra must decide

Homecoming

Oh my God,
And speak of the devil..
Sweet Jesus,
What a sight.
Holy shit
And hallelujah
Mother of God
That can't be right..

Finally

I'll start with a promise;
I love you.
Honest.
I always have,
Nothing could stop this.
But something stopped,
What was that?
A romance or a laugh track,
A broken record of lectures,
A checkered flag for bad habits?
Whatever, I'm past it.
I would just ask that
You trust that I did what I had to,
I didn't plan it,
And I just couldn't stand it.
I wasn't prepared for the months long abyss.
My parachute failed.
Deadlines were missed.
I thought I hit bottom, it felt like I did,
But I kept right on falling,
Feared the pit had no end.
As I fell I was thinking,
What was I thinking?
I reminded myself of the reasons,
And continued to fall,
But continued to think,
Of the pictures on the wall.
I took them all down,
But they remained on my mind.
I thought of us often
As hard as that is to believe
It's happy and awesome
And then finally, finally,
I hit and it hurt.
I was jarred by your words.
What I needed was dreaded,
The silence was the worst,
But my quiet was crucial.
I knew I'd implode
I did, it was awful.
I did it alone.
Finally, finally, I knew I was ready
Finally, finally, I was at peace
Looking up from the abyss
I could see you looking back at me.
Waiting for each other.

Rest

On crowded streets, in summer heat
The pavement scorching on his feet
He bumps and bustles through the hustle
Hoping he remains discreet
With whiskey breath, he's marked for death
He pretends not to know it yet
His sole consoling thought in getting lost
Is there's a place where he can rest
So he jostles through the bottleneck
A shade in shades and faded threads
Not knowing where he's going
And forgetting where he's been
He's touched so many lives
Now they wish they could wash their hands
Lest their sterling reputations
Be slightly tainted by the damned
Look at him and brother Grim
They share a bottle and a stride
Hashing out the finer points
Of shepherding death and sheltered life
The sun is long and low and ready
He knows exactly what it means
The waking world will be the same
As this reoccurring dream

Train

A whistle in the distance
Signals that it's time to board
The Pullman bar is fully stocked
The porters put out their cigars
The station clock is getting angry
It thinks the time is running out
The steel tracks are clear and calling
The conductor licks his chops
The switch is set for Northbound
The lovers linger, lips are locked
Final call! the bellman bellows
One of you had best get on!
Fair ladies wave their satin scarves
Fathers shake hands with their sons
Friends and families bid farewell
The carnage very nearly done
But the lovers locked in longing
Can't bare to be apart
They hold hands on the platform
As they watch the train depart

Intangibles

I am sand between your fingers
You are wind blowing my hair
You try so hard to hold me close
I barely notice you are there
You want to shake me, I can feel it
You stomp the sand but it just moves
Then you notice it supports you
Silly sand is so confused
I truly love you, please believe me
If I could touch you, I could share
When I can't find you, I'm barely breathing
Then I notice you're my air

Banners

Anything m'dear
Northern frontier
Good people within earshot
Lend me your ears
Everything m'dear
Everything you fear
Careful or reckless
Copper but clear
Shameless schism
Damned to be saved
Nameless victim
Unmarked grave
Casual forest
Tensions unaired
Rally the banners
Allegiance declared
Trivial m'dear
Let it be shared
Fighting for you
For m'dear I am here

Real

Back when it was good it was real good

Weekends on the beach, weeknights in the neighborhoods

We were young, fine, but in love and so alive

It was us against the world, yeah, and we were gonna shine

And we got along fine, we would talk of twenty five

On that trip to northern Spain we would dream about the Chi

I was for sure a different guy and yeah you were pretty fly

I’m thinkin if we coulda made it we woulda been something inspired

So I guess the reason why, after all the dust has settled,

Isn’t ever gonna cut it, so not even gonna try

After all you’re asking why, askin 'whatchu talkin ''bout' :)

But you shouldn’t have to ask because you know that I am out

Back when it was real it was super real,

Welcome in the sunset we would dance Electric Feel

No Dorthy clickin heels, no sleepin at the wheel

Just a pair of midwest twentysomethings chillin at the rio

This was back when you had sex appeal and I had still felt real

And you didn’t have your mind made up, I didn’t have a deal

Well that devil came acallin and his clock just kept atickin'

And our friends all watched in horror and our parents made us listen;

We never had that Venice trip, was stolen from the Citroen

And overnights to embassies were nothing but a laugh back then;

And After all you’re askin why and asking what I’m talking about..

I wish you didn’t have to love, you know that I am out

Back when it was good it was real good back when it was good it was good it was good

Hills

Was it wind I felt, that stir in my blood

The evening on the hill, in the soil and mud

As we watched the sun set to the west as we guessed

What our lives really meant and we thought it was this

We knew we were specks in the universe

We knew we could wreck what was left for us

Yet we knew it was not for us

And we knew it in chorus

We knew we needed voices to be heard over the noise

But we know not where to start

So we will continue to tear it apart