Heart aches for white wine pizza,
Crazy talk by a sunshine pool while
Smokey joe holds court.
Home now, missing everything
So drink too much.
Not enough,
The usual bottomless pit
Of something
Fails to mend.
Sour mouth, hurting head
I reset the clock again
Praying I’m not too late.
The day is done, it’s time for bed,
for once my head
is free of dust,
but sleep I must.
The dog still wakes me up at four,
she paws the door,
my legs are stiff,
the stairs a cliff.
A morning coffee helps my mood,
though I want food,
I wait awhile,
I try to smile.
Two is just too much I think,
Teetering now, I’m on the brink,
Twitches threaten, head’s a blur,
Even one would cause a stir.
Morning after, time to quit,
Squeeze into my running kit.
The front betrays me,
It tells its truth when I wanted lies.
Smaller now, I put the cork back in.
Let there be forgiveness.
There was nowhere else to turn
he thought the gun was dead
if a gun can be dead
it felt dead
it was limp in his hands
The warehouse was empty now
the guy had turned
they always did
a trashcan to the neck
was all it took these days,
sometimes more
Locked and loaded
easy like a tunafish
nothing more
the riverboat chimed to the sound of ten
Far away,
she dreams of other days
of a time when he was small
before the ten pipe master dared to call
everyone hurts
so they say
he should have been home by ten
The telephone rings at the crack of dead
A dream is a hope
a dream is a dread
she touches his face
dusty with lead
Diving down narrow tube gasping breath must choke,
Rusty nails on threadbare skin, heart a ragged cloth
Hounds afoot chasing dreams, no room now for doubt
Things can change, I think they must
Sunlight falters, turns to dust
I know that you’re tired
I know that you’re weary
I know that you’ve waited
A long lonely time
I know that you’re wondering
I know that you’re crying
I know that you need me
To tell you it’s fine
Will it come and stay
Chase the shadows away
And take down the curtains
That keep light at bay
You ask in the morning
You ask late at night
You ask when I’m sleeping
When I’ve turned out the light
You’ll never stop asking
Till we’re dead in the ground
You’ll never stop wondering
Where peace can be found
I’ve told you before
And I’ll you again
I’ll tell you forever
I’ll tell you my friend
It will come and stay
And keep the shadows away
I’m certain together
We can keep dark at bay
But you have to turn over
And turn out the light
I’m begging you baby
Just turn out the light
Dare I dream that life will be
Dare I hope that they might flee
Dreams that come and fill my night
Dreams that make me hide from sight
Dare I think that it might come
Dare I greet the morning sun
Settled now my thoughts will be
All is well ‘tween you and me
Through the curtain
If you dare
No way through
But mustn’t care
Try to smile
To ease the way
But walkie talkie
Wins the day
You need to know
that the rain will come
and cleanse your soul
it will sting and burn
and hurt you so
and in the end
you’ll think you know
and then you’ll see
how real it was
and then you’ll laugh
until your bones
ache and burn
and hurt you so
and so you’ll laugh
then cry
until you know
that the end has come
and you’ll wish you’d known
that when it’s done
you’ll cry some more
that when it’s done
you’ll laugh and cry
that when it’s done
you’ll finally know
how true it was
and then you’ll see,
you’ll see your past
and then you’ll cry
your very last
