Little Walks and Talks

He promises he won't bite

She wonders if he lies

He says he's not looking for a fight

And she knows that can't be right

Because they've both seen enough 

Because they're both pretty smart 

And they both would never have thought

Of the dangers coming from these little talks

He promises he is open minded

And she wonders if she really is too

He promises that he won't try to convince

And she knows she will not hold back

Because they've both seen enough 

Because they're both pretty smart 

And they both would never have thought

Of the dangers coming from these long walks

He says he just wants to ask something

She knows he not to believe him 

He wonders if she will ever really hear

And she wonders what brings him such fear

Because they've both seen a bit

But neither feels like they can defend it

And they both would never have thought

Of the secrets hidden behind their own locks

He won't try to convince her anymore

And she has also decided to shut her door

And instead they just sit and watch tv 

Choosing comfort over true intimacy 

Because they've seen whats around the bend

And they both know how this tragic tale ends

And neither would have ever thought 

Love harms the lips that remain unlocked

Rock and Sand

He is constant and unchanging
He is fixed and never fading
He is strong and unmoving
He is sure and untouchable
At least that is how they say it
But can you ask yourself if that is true
Then why was there inconsistency
Why the change that occurred time and time again
How could things once fixed be undone
How could things once important fade away
Look at the picture He has painted
Read the story He had them write for you
Would you think of it as unchanging
When He told Hezekiah you will die
And Hekekiah cried and begged for more time
And He changed his mind
This is one example of many
Argue it if you like
It is the truth
Either He does change and change His mind
Or the one who wrote those words did not write His words
Either is an unsettling answer
And do you know why?
Because life is so unstable and unsure
We long for, we crave the feel of certainty
We desire and need a sense of the sure
And this would remove a foundation of stone
And replace it with a foundation of sand
At least, until that sand is made into cement
Until that cement dries and is suddenly better than stone
Sand can be worked and strengthened to concrete
Sand can be refined and made into beautiful glass
Stone limits and can only be chipped away until nothing remains
Until the stone eventually becomes sand
Sacreligious as this may sound ask yourself this
What did Abraham and Enoch and Noah and Melchizadeck have to look to
They had no stone and only sand
And yet they were called "Blessed" "Favored" "Friend" and "Righteous"
So maybe sand is not the problem here
Maybe it is okay to question established rules
To question their actual morality (no I will not cut off your hand)
Maybe it is okay for things to change
Yes this applies to "current events" (not to be subtle about it)
But it applies to everything that comes after
This is a conversation we must have
If we don't switch to sand and learn to work it then all too soon our rock will weather away
And we will have nothing but sand and uncertainty to stand on

The Smart Guy

Alex is a smart guy
He knows how to play the game
He tells her he likes her a little
And then he pretends that he doesn't anymore
And she suddenly wonders what happened
She wonders if it is something she's done
And she wonders what Alex is thinking
And she wonders about Alex a lot
And in her mind Alex becomes ellusive
Seductive and strong
Harboring some secret hatred
And she hoped and doesnt that its against her
Alex is a smart guy
He knows what to do next
He calls her late when she is sleeping
But then won't answer her texts
And makes cryptic facebook statuses
And has inside jokes with all her friends
And she suddenly feels so mixed up
And she suddenly wonders why she feels this way
And she begins to questions what Alex means to her
And wonders more about that boy
Alex is a smart guy
He knows this cannot last
Because he only knows how to play the game
He doesn't know how to make it last
He only knows that now he has to make it end
Because someone is going to get hurt and lose face
And Alex has played the game too long
He cannot lose even if he tries
So she doesn't know why he starts giving her attention
And she doesn't know why but she's glad that he does
And she doesn't know why but she's losing interest
And she doesn't know why but she thinks she might be done
Alex is a smart guy
He knows how to play the game
Alex is a smart guy
But he doesn't know how to get out

Thinking

She sits in a Parisian cafe 

And dreams of England 

Holds the cup close

And breathes in spice from India

And thinks about the boy in Alabama

And thinks about the summer in Hawaii

And wonders about the friend she left in Australia

And wonders about the friend who left her for Australia

And all these things bring her closer to the unsettling feeling

That things are much larger than she knows

And that she has a small time here

And she has not done enough

So she stands out in the London rain and watches the sky

As the sunlight slants sideways through lances of rain

And she thinks about how her best friend died

That day in the carcrash in the Arizona desert

And how her mom is sick in a hospital in Hawaii

And how her friend in Australia met her friend in Australia

And wonders if they will have a boy or girl

And whether her nail color is too bright

And whether she will ever meet Mr Right

And wonders about the boy she left in Alabama

And tells herself she does not miss him

And then she stands on the bank of the Mississippi

It's nightime and the air is thick like syrup

A glow of a tent to her left comes with shouting
And singing and the laughter of children 

The smell of caramel corn and firelies mix in the air

The smell of the river mud and the hair of the boy from Alabama greet her

She does not turn to face him

She cannot bare to see his eyes again 

She wishes she could touch him

She wishes she could let him know she is there

He is sad as he looks off into the distance

The moonlight flickers back at them on the water

And he stands on the edge of the pier 

His long fingers buried in his pocket

And he talks to her as if she is there

And he tells her that he feels so guilty

That he wished it had been him and not her

That he wished they had stayed home that night

And that he wished there were no drunk drivers

And he steps off of the pier and says her name

And she is with him

The world is blue and brown and black

The world is soft and cool and slow and thick

The world is finally quiet enough for him to hear her

And bubbles fly from his mouth at the sound of her wings

"I missed you too."

Toxic Conversations

So shall we sit and speak of other things

Of sealing wax and cabbages and whether we have wings

Lets turn the tv off

Lets sit a while and talk

Lets make eye contact long

And just not mention

The unspeakable thing

There is a topic

It's toxic

And I know eventually we will visit it

And as we writhe in the toxic ooze

The radioactive sludge drip neon green from our bare skin

Rivulets of poison run off us like rain showers

Acid stinging the corners of our eyes

When we rise from the hazmat spill 

Our skin glowing yellow with radiation

And our hair sparking with hydrocarbons

Will you still kiss me then 

When you realize that I do not believe

In the existence of Alaska

Will you still kiss me then 

When you realize I need to see

And sometimes I accidentally do

Will you still kick me when 

I bow down to your iron will

And worship your cast gods

Then what 

Words and words and words

And the breaking apart of things

And the flight of happiness 

And the deep darkness of disspair

Pain too 

And this one thing

Wisdom

I am no prophet

The greatest prophet of the future is the past

Can we reconcile our pasts

Let us sit then and speak of other things

Of ships and sails and ceiling wax and not the King of Kings