Ripped

When you build her give her steel-plated ribs
Make her heart beat like an engine and not miss
Sandbag her against the flood or she may drown
Termite-proof the parts of her that touch the ground

And god knows she’s seen some sad things in her time
They leave her ripped
They leave her dumb
They make it all look like a lie
It pulls her in
It pulls her down
And its source cannot be found
It laid its weight across your heart
And it makes you what you are

Carve her name into the trunk of a tree
Jewels of sap run down and land at her feet

When you make her give her cast-iron teeth
Check her carefully for holes in case of leaks
Sink her footings deep into the earth
Build her proof a hurricane or worse

Plant her tree outside your house and let it grow
Tend it carefully I’m sure that she will know

Green Beads

We traded kisses on our knees
Held hands with you in bed while I sat at your feet
Your unicorns and crucifix on the canopy

And I will wear your green beads and you will never know
You will never know

Stay. Stay. I hate the way that people come and go.

Pile the flowers by the door
Inside the people sing but somehow I want more
The incense and its nuances were lost on me

August to July
ten months asleep.

Long Gone

And I know the red dirt will
Stick to my feet as I walk through
I left my car in the driveway

And how the trees have grown
It doesn’t look like my old home
And whose is that dog
Dead on the highway

Through the creek
The cattleyard
The lemon tree
But it’s long gone now

The red dirt stuck to my feet
My curly hair and my Fossey’s jeans and my
Brown eyes made me uncool
With the blonde-haired tough girls at my school

Long gone

Long gone now

You sang songs in a minor key
Sad words ripped right through me
You had no love for the middle ground

Sad words held me tight
I loved you then because you made it alright
I need it now but you’re not around

The Albatross

Adrift on your inner sea
Your innocence bugs me
Yeah you break my heart

You drift from room to room
Empty as an old shoe
Yeah you break my heart

Strange days drifting at sea
When did you kill the albatross?
But your sailor’s skills won’t let you drown
And you won’t climb the mast to see what’s around
You’re so lost now.

The albatross laid its weight
On shoulders just not meant to take
The strain and it breaks my heart

You don’t have the oil for the storm
And all your defenses are worn
Yeah you break my heart