NO SUN RISING

they tell you that time 
rushes on to the end 
you hear it crashing 
on the rocks below
but instead of getting louder 
it fades to a whisper 
that rings quieter and quieter

when we were young 
no one told us 
all youth is beautiful
all the rest was lies

and in a way
somewhere in between 
phantoms of ourselves
no sun rising

now the simplest things 
are becoming so difficult
I have this feeling like stone 
crumbling into itself
the weight and layers 
of so many years 
channeling my skin
until I no longer know myself
seeing dimly 
from the same black eyes 

my mind is like a broken radio
scanning the things 
I halfway know 
for some voice to tell you 
it’s a dead-end compulsion 
it never made any difference 
to tell you 
the hell that I’m living
somehow you don’t hear me
as if it made any difference to cry

yeah, it’s a dead-end compulsion
nothing really ends there
reaching me through the whisper
crumbling into itself
the weight, the layers 
of so many years 
channeling my soul

IF I SHOULD WAKE

breath of the plague
wings in the night
if I should wake
behind hunter’s eyes

once is enough
once is enough
to give a life
to sacrifice a love

step of the fox
scent of the forest
coin in the fountain
light as the wing touch
of a dove

if I should wake
then I shall wake
a hunter

dread of death
presses the living breath
like stone on the 
fearful breast
not us
on wings we are deathless
on wings we are weightless

as step of the fox
scent of the forest
coin in the fountain
light as the wing touch
of a dove in the moss
scent of the forest
coin in the fountain
light as the wing touch

RAZOR WIRE

razor wire
wire
white 
eraser 
razor

erase the why
not to reason why
not to reason why
not to reason why
erase the—

rationalize
contextualize
intellectualize
paralyze

rationalize
re-contextualize
intellectualize
parrot
parrot
parrot
parrot
parrot lies

NOW YOU PLAY TO WIN

I confess 
I do want less
than what we envisioned
when we were kids
I understand
it’s not my best 
you’re undefeated
still in the lead

when we walk home 
at 2 am
this row of homes 
is tissue thin
do you remember 
how time would drip

and we’re still playing
but now you play to win
we’re still playing
but now you play to win 
we’re still playing
but now you play to win
now you play to win 
now you play to win
now you play to win

now confess
you want me less
than when we were heedless
of slides and ladders
we’re tall enough
to play pretend
that I’m all you needed
you play the lead

trickle 
in a slow leak

trickle 
snow is thawing

trickle 
time is crawling
time is crawling
time is crawling

BLEACH

false star 
to bleach all time
all ambition
it’s only the way you feel
it’s only the way you feel

sun bleach want 
out of us
sun bleach want 
out of us
bleach

false start 
when you breathe
every time
your mind will drift
like somebody’s reel-to-reel
somebody’s reel-to-reel