Thousand Times

You, standing over there, flyaway hair
Toss it back, the wind will catch it -- picture perfect --
As you've always been
Standing next to him
I've already had my chance
I wouldn't change the past

Too many lies, I've heard a thousand times
The words they bounce right off me
I'll let it be, I'll let you be
Let it go and let you go your way
(Hope it always goes your way)

You smile and say he's flawless
Inside his mind is lawless
His eyes they are the mirror
His soul you'll see it clearer
You will drown in them and then
You'll soon regret unless you're just like him

He says he speaks a different language (when he goes on)
But it's just equivocation (let the wind blow on)

Too many lies, I've heard a thousand times
The words they bounce right off me
I'll let it be, I'll let you be
Let it go and let you go your way
(I hope it always goes your way)

To K, with chagrin

For you, I have handpicked these words
Cultivated, curated,
The most beautiful syllables
To befit your presence

I know that these chosen words are worthy of you
As they drift off into spirals and curls
Of perfectly-expressed sentiment.

You suddenly surprise me
With your graciousness
And love

And I want to tell you that the hours are a well I cannot draw from
That so many things are left undone
Bleary eyes, painful head, searching for the splendor
That you steal from the skies
That I cannot sleep
But I cannot wake up
That I am surrounded by gifts
I have no idea what to do with
Except for the one with the words
This life, this privileged existence
A blinding flash of gold
And yet I long for all the colors of the rainbow
And the earth below

But these words are not for you.
Here, then, are yours:

I am endlessly thankful, dear friend,
For your graciousness and love
The reminder of a shining moment and the glimmer of a dream
The embodiment of nostalgia for a moment yet to come
My gift to you,
Wrapped up in a ribbon
And tossed toward the stars.

The best

Your star shone so brightly
On those nights, those hours,
Tuesday after Tuesday
I close my eyes tightly
Against the light that's faded
Though the clouds block the way

What if there was a clear sky
(A never ending bliss)
What if there was an open line
(I cannot access this)
What if I've given all my best
(And it is not enough)
What if I'd simply never left
(And interrupted love)

The sky, the line, the best, is mine
My city is a memory left behind
I'm here, and I will stay alive
If you don't leave my mind's eye

I'm lost in the desert
And the warmth of my rock
Is fading in the night
I thought it was heaven
But I shout in the void
And I wonder, who were you
And how did you shine so bright

No reason to keep thinking

(It never does me good)

Or question what I'm seeing

(As if I ever would)

I'm always left assuming

(That's where I fall behind)

That I am always losing

(There goes my peace of mind)

The sky, the line, the best, is mine
My city is a memory left behind
I'm here, and I will stay alive
If I believe my mind's eye