Running from street lamp to street lamp
Creating worlds before the sun is born
I don’t sleep as well as I should
Out, wandering with my thoughts this morn
No need to remind me of my missteps
I remember every time I came up short
Angst & anxiety locked in perpetual duel
To discover who gets the final retort
Not to keep returning the subject to myself
But there are certain truths I must understand
I’m no one special, a mere footnote
A history to be written, though not as planned
Dreams & hopes that never came to be
A rakish poet nor grizzled old typesetter
Through the years & false daily realities
It is inexplicable the mundane became better
So I find myself with a specific freedom
To be able to move without any sort of cosmic retort
For I have faith in love, fate & ultimate grace
Allowed to live without any innate need to stop short
You don’t see me when you look my way Like a ghost – I just don’t seem to appear Faded into the background of life Unable to compete with all you hold dear
My kind smile & open arms aren’t a reality Merely static in your fashion-conscious day I’m over here trying to catch your eye Yet my shadow is not even in your way
What more can I do to attract you
The uncool of America Not enough flash Eagerly & quietly industrious But we’re still short on cash
You’re out here ridin’ high on your horse I’m down here with my heart broken You’re clearly oblivious to my existence I wonder if you’ll ever be woken
Watching the paper soak up errant coffee Spillage; correcting the bland, empty page Blocked before you wasted the elixir of life Words summoned now like a pensive sage
Freely letting loose a volley of images We are released to our new mode of narration Blinded aesthetics on a crisp winter morning Forever allowed to remain alive in short bursts of inspiration
But our dreams drip Memories frothing to the surface Unknown to the exterior Remnants of our innocence Miss
Complications of misinterpretations Dwelling in this unfailing mess Stepping gently away at this time of night Always remember you in that short gingham dress
Overcast Navy sailing away
Pull up your trousers (black silk)
Your stay here has been cut short
Prominent sundresses & of that ilk
Humid weather slowing me down
Manicured hands releasing winds to blow
Settle into your newly structured mind
We never asked you to row so slow
Not listening to rumors on the deckplates
There’s a truth down there you can’t feel
Displacement registered in the silence
Absolutism shook along the keel
I still know you in spite of your success
For I knew you when you were poor
Beauty does not replace kindness
It merely opens up another door