dumb pluck cluck luck

down hair
twigs grass
expertly woven
eager circles drawn
in natural lines
around the tender
things that need
to be kept safe
and soft and
sheltered

you can't trust your friends
they will betray you with a love less blinding
and then at the end
they may admit that you were
missing something

marvel me
in this nest the parts
of me kept secret
kept away
from the wind and
all those things
that would grab them
in the dark
in my absence

and no one remembers 
even one word that left your mouth
all the melodies were stolen
from songs by someone else
you're out of time and inspiration
filled with self pity and fear
and all the dreams that haven't dried up
are slowly drowning in your tears


more yellow birds,
more yellow birds
the dim interior

but i have walked on
too many eggshells
and despite my best efforts
the only things hatching
in my tended circles
are brown and broken

stillborn in the silence
and the wind
of too many words

just don't forget
that it's dumb luck that got you here
don't fool yourself,
misfortune's waiting for the best time
to appear 
to make it clear
that all the courage
and the talent that you had
was just in dreams
and when you wake up
you will beg to get it back
to get it back

the wrong girl

so the floodgates open
but nothing comes out
i'm feeling no relief in my head, just doubt
but my heart keeps telling me
hold your ground
you'll never learn a thing if you bail out now
and i'm lonely again tonight
i can feel it like a knot in my side
they keep saying this is part of the ride
but i'm not getting stronger
yet hold me against the light
do you see any bullet inside?
wouldn't find one if you magnified
because you've got the wrong girl
put my fingers around the back of your chair
you never miss a thing
but you missed me there
and i just kept thinking
am i prepared
to pull it out from under your trusting stare?
and the house is quiet as a hollow head
and i'm walking around bumping into things you said
this has not been as easy as i thought it would
i'd be cooling down with fire
if i thought i could
and i'm lonely again tonight
i can feel it like a knot in my side
they keep saying this is part of the ride
but i'm not getting stronger
yet hold me against the light
do you see any bullet inside?
wouldn't find one if you magnified
because you've got the wrong girl
yeah you got the wrong girl
i see you there
and the floodgates open
but nothing comes out

fortunate advice, unsolicited on a bad work day

missing faces at 3 am

it's raining, and i can't sleep. and you're hurting in all the old places tonight.

the hardest part about crying is when you can't stop.

shimmer

she calls me from the cold
just when i was low,
feeling short of stable
all that she intends
and all she keeps inside
isn't on the label
she's, she's ashamed
can she take me for a while?
can i be your friend?
we'll forget the past,
or maybe i'm not able
and i break at the bend.