November (2023)
One small sound
One small word
In tongues all over the world
I said it
I said it
One small word
I said it
I didn't
I said it
I didn't
Tongues all over
Can't pick them out
Can't press them in
I'll never hide my scars
Can't pick them out
Can't press them in
I'll never hide my scars
I'll never hide my scars
One small sound
One small sight
One unsheathed knife must glint
In an alternate timeline's light
One rust-ridden blade juts out
Of a friendly moonstruck shape
To tear, tear terribly, terribly
Tear, tear terribly
The delicate crepe of night
Familiarity breeds
Indifference
Familiarity breeds discontent
Familiarity breeds
Indifference
Familiarity breeds discontent
My other time machine
A pungent, putrid brownish-green
November smile
Blandishing my two-timing door
One small sound
One small bite
One tomial tooth
One Loggerhead Shrike must skewer
My invertebrate doppelgänger
On barbed wire in a parallel universe
My tongue parallelly bleeds
One small drop
In a monthful of blood
In tongues all over the world
I said it, I didn't
It doesn't matter
What I said or didn't
Admit it
You were never going to get it
I was always gonna get it
Can't pick them out
Can't press them in
I'll never hide my scars
Can't pick them out
Can't press them in
I'll never hide my
Familiarity breeds
Familiarity breeds
Not only is it thicker
Blood is stickier than water
Maybe that's relevant somehow
Can I explode now?
Envy (2023)
Rough time of year
Does it get to you too
When it rains and it rains
And your shoes never dry
I stay inside with my
Veins full of glue
And I stick to a screen
Till my battery dies
I don’t need to be rich
Only so wealthy as to pay for my food
I don’t need to be huge
Only so big as to ever be noticed
Rough time of year
Do you sit through it too
With that envy so strong
That you can’t even move
I must confess
An embarrassing truth
Almost nothing can hurt me
Like thinking of you
You’ve got a beautiful home
Bestselling novel and effortless style
You enchant the people around you
They swoon when you show even the hint of a smile
Rough time of year
Does it darken the doors
To the lofty salons
Of the luminaries
I wouldn’t know
I wouldn’t know
I only know
Weeks of godawful overcast days
Abstinence from sun on the skin
Drifting deeper and deeper into quarantine
Until my own company begins to wear thin
Silent Film (2022)
I am living in the eye of the storm
Winded and unwound
Down on the floor
Trying to find the door
Trying to find the door
Trying to find the door
I can’t see for all the dust in the air
Could wave it away
But I wouldn’t dare
Some of it might be you
Some of it might be you
Some of it might be you
Every day and every night
You were the
Soundtrack of my life
And now it’s all a
Silent film
Every cloudy afternoon
Your voice rang out and
Lit the room
But now it’s always
Dark and
Oh so quiet
I don’t even know where to begin
I don’t even know where to begin
Sometimes the days were long
Sometimes the days were long
Sometimes the days were long
But the years were so short
I am living in the shell of a home
Never dreamed I’d feel so
Sad and alone again
Didn’t we have more time?
I thought we had more time.
Couldn’t we have more time?
Every day and every night
You were the
Soundtrack of my life
And now it’s all a
Silent film
Every cloudy afternoon
Your voice rang out and
Lit the room
But now it’s always
Dark and
Oh so quiet
I don’t even know where to begin
I don’t even know where to begin
Trying to find the door
Trying to find the door
Trying to find the door
I am not a stranger here (2023)
I don’t know this town
But it’s your town
So it’s my town too
I don’t know that girl
But she knows you
So she’s my friend too
I don’t know my way
But I can count on you
To show it to me
I am not a stranger
When I’m with you
When I’m with you
Do do do do do do do
Your mother seems to like me
And you tell me that it’s true
Your cousin makes me food
That I have only ever
Dreamed of trying
I can tell
That I could be so happy
Here with you forever
I am not a stranger
When I’m with you
When I’m with you
Do do do do do do do do do
Your room is a cave
That offers shelter from the stormy weather
And beneath a pile of blankets
We can hide away together
We can hide away together
We can hide away together
We can hide away together
We can
When it’s time
For me to up and leave
There’s a part of me
I can’t make follow
All day long
I’m longing for you
And the tears are so hard to swallow
After knowing life with you
Life without you leaves me hollow
Oh oh oh
I don’t know my way
But I can count on you
To show it to me
I am not a stranger
When I’m with you
When I’m with you
Well, I don’t know this road
But I can count on you
To lead me down it
I am not a stranger
When I’m with you
When I’m with you
When I’m with you
When I’m with you
Blue Jay (2022)
Ta-da!
Today
The headache finally goes away
The headache finally goes
Ta-da!
Today
I feel the harmony between
My heart and body and my brain
Everything will be okay
And if you ask what bird I want to be
I'll say a blue jay
If you ask what time I want to leave
I'll change the conversation
If you lean in close and kiss me
I won't mind
I’ll probably respond in kind
Ta-da!
Today
I find the energy to play
I find the energy
Ta-da!
Today
I hear a friendly melody
In every enemy refrain
Everything will be okay
Everything will be okay
Ta-da!
Today
I see the light across the bay
Ta-da!
Today
A sudden symphony
is somewhere out there trumpeting my name
Everything will be okay
And if you ask what bird I want to be
I'll say a blue jay
If you ask what time I want to leave
I'll change the conversation
If you lean in close and kiss me
I won't mind
I’ll probably respond in kind
I’ll probably respond in kind
I’ll probably respond in kind
I’ll probably respond in kind.
Varied Thrush (2021)
Hush! hush!
Listen to the Varied Thrush
The freezing rain has
Pushed them down into the valley
With the rest of us
Flushed
From the comfortably lush
Forest floor
They draw their bows across
Serrated edges of
Musical saws and crush
The frigid, sharply pointed hearts
Of icicles like us
Crush, crush, crush,
Crush, crush, crush,
Crush, crush, crush,
Crush, crush, crush,
Crush, crush, crush,
Crush, crush, crush,
Crush, crush, crush...
Swish! swish!
The Osprey hovers seeking fish
The glassy pond
Displays the menu but won't serve the dish
To birds who wish
To linger when
The air turns cold
Defying pressure
To defer to Cackling Geese
And Western
Gulls, wish, wish,
Wish, wish, wish,
Wish, wish, wish,
Wish, wish, wish,
Wish, wish, wish,
Wish, wish, wish,
Wish, wish, wish...
Who doesn't wish they could
Begin
To leave?
Who doesn't wish they could
Believe
In letting something end?
We have these wishes
But we're hung up
On a superstitious
Focus on the family
We see in Collared Doves
With love much stronger
Than we probably
Should ever hope
For ours to be.
Are we a "we are" today?
Will we be a "we will be" tomorrow?
Were we a "we were" already
Long ago?
We don't know
What price makes sense to pay,
So we settle for indebted sorrow,
Never knowing we could dine and
Dash into that nullifying snow.
Thrash! thrash!
The so-called trash birds
Taking baths
Betray their cuteness
In the recklessness with which
They lash
Their lustrous feathers
Petroleum with flecks of ash
In an unseasonable
Puddle
Glaciating fast
Splash, splash, splash,
Splash, splash, splash,
Splash, splash, freeze,
Splash, splash, splash,
Freeze, splash, splash,
Splash, splash, splash,
Splash, splash, freeze,
Splash, splash, splash...
Hush! hush!
Listen to the Varied Thrush
Hush! hush!
Hush! hush!
Listen to the Varied Thrush,
Hush! hush!
Hush! hush!
Hush! hush!
Hush! hush!
POMPEII (2019)
No one can see
My bravery;
I stomp on humdrum ground,
I navigate mundane terrain.
But all the same,
An ancient flame
Ignites a fervency that
Surges into every vein.
Dash, jump, climb, crawl!
Gotta get out, gotta get out—
Dart, dive, fly, tumble!
Gotta get out, gotta get out
Gotta get you out, out, out!
In a previous life
I surely
Swept you off your feet
And carried you away
From the choking ash
And scorching heat,
To begin anew
Beyond the ruins of Pompeii
And to live
To see another sunny day.
On every list
Of things to do,
An unchecked box reminds me
That the task of saving you
Remains undone
And unbegun
And unfulfillable
Until the day we need to run
Until the day we need to run
We need to run—
Dash, jump, climb, crawl!
Gotta get out, gotta get out—
Dart, dive, fly, tumble!
Gotta get out, gotta get out
Gotta get you out, out, out!
In a previous life
I surely
Swept you off your feet
And carried you away
From the choking ash
And scorching heat,
To begin anew
Beyond the ruins of Pompeii
And to live
To see another sunny day.
From form to form,
From place to place,
From birth to birth,
From death to death,
From earth to outer space—
From Plague and flood,
From fire and blight,
From each catastrophe
That threatens to eclipse your light—
Dash, jump, climb, crawl!
Gotta get out, gotta get out—
Dart, dive, fly, tumble!
Gotta get out, gotta get out
Gotta get you out, out, out!
To begin anew
Beyond the ruins of Pompeii
And to live
To see another sunny day.
Sparkbird (2023)
Sparks fly
Every time I identify
A species I have
Hitherto never
Seen in the field
Seen in the feather
Sparkbird
Destiny drew us together
Every smile line on my face
Can be retraced
Down to the split second
Down to the split place
Is it magical thinking
Or is it magical realism
Or is it neither here nor there?
Every time I check my wrist
It's another brand new freckle
Past another brand new hair
I'm growing up, up, up
Against my will, will
Will you finally resurrect
The time I've killed?
Will you finally resurrect
The time I've killed, killed, killed?
Sparks fly
Every time I visit this park
I envision the phantom
Of a giddy little cartoon me
Jittering on the electrifying
Cusp of discovery
Before and after the storm
All I wanted was to be seen
And to see
Some signs of a world still
Turning, turning, turning
Some signs of a world still
Forming, forming, forming
Rebirth of a dream still
Burning, burning, burning
Is it magical thinking
Or is it magical realism
Or is it neither here nor there?
Every time I check my wrist
It's another brand new freckle
Past another brand new hair
I'm growing up, up, up
Against my will, will
Will you finally resurrect
The time I've killed?
Will you finally resurrect
The time I've killed, killed, killed?
Sparkbird
Sparkbird
Disembodied Mind (2023)
I am
In trouble with myself again
I am
In trouble trouble trouble trouble
I am
In trouble with myself again
I am
In trouble trouble trouble
But I do believe
There's beauty within
That's why I can't stop
Picking my skin
Digging for a buried treasure
Digging for a way for me to
Say goodbye
To the stranger on the other side
Say hello
To the bliss of a
Disembodied mind
I am
In trouble with myself again
I am
In trouble trouble trouble trouble
I am
In trouble with myself again
I am
In trouble trouble trouble
But I do believe
There's a reason to live
That is why I'm gonna go
To sea in a sieve
Get me soaked and squeeze me through
Till there's nothing left to do but
Say goodbye
To the stranger on the other side
Say hello
To the bliss of a
Disembodied mind
I am
In trouble with myself again
I am
In trouble trouble trouble trouble
I am
In trouble with myself again
I am
In trouble trouble trouble
And I don’t believe
We could ever agree
That’s why I’ll do anything
To keep myself away from me
Maybe when I’m out of sight
I’ll see me in a better light
Eyes shut tight
Better get this right
Every word of the spell
To rip the soul from its shell
Say goodbye
To the stranger on the other side
Say hello
To the bliss of a
Disembodied mind
I am
in trouble with myself again
I am
in trouble trouble trouble trouble
I am
in trouble with myself again
I am
in trouble
Metropolis of Eden (2022)
A city in ruin
But only for the blink of an eye
A pitiful tune
But only for a moment in time
In the long run
We came back to these old streets
When the barriers had all gotten
Buried at sea
And when these buildings all
Turned green
We agreed
It’s better than it used to be
How long has it been
Since we last felt fear of the sun and the wind
And how long will it be till we feel
The Metropolis of Eden we live in is real?
A city in bloom
A city with that adapts to survive
A little more room
For underdogs and misfits to thrive
In the rooftop gardens
The Purple Finches are pecking out the eyes
Of the wild yellow sunflowers
Smiling at vanilla skies
And you and I are finally free
To do the things we like
Be it making art or making out
And stargazing every night, and oh
How sweet would it be
If an Eastern Phoebe nested
On the balcony, and oh
How sweet to begin
Seeing life as a gift,
Not a contest to win
We came back to these old streets
When the barriers had all gotten
Buried at sea
And when these buildings all
Turned green
We agreed
It’s better than it used to be
How long has it been
Since we last felt fear of the sun and the wind
And how long will it be till we feel
The Metropolis of Eden we live in is real?
How long has it been
Since we last felt fear of the sun and the wind
And how long will it be till we feel
The Metropolis of Eden we live in is real?
A city in bloom
(We can do the things we like)
A city in bloom
(We can do the things we like)
A city in bloom
(We can do the things we like)
A city in bloom
Minor Holiday (2021)
Wake up and look out the window
Half the yard is burning and
The other half is covered in snow
Is it Arbor Day?
Is it Boxing Day?
I’m sure today must be a
Minor holiday
Season’s grievings to us, one and all
Once we get the hang of it
We’ll forget to get upset
Bearing each unsettling new pall
So adaptable
We’re so adaptable
So adaptable
We’re so adaptable
As the world is ending
We can keep pretending
That none of this will matter in an hour
First we lose the polar bears
Now we lose the flowers
Not a summer’s day
Not a winter’s day
Not a summer’s day
Not a winter’s day
Shall I compare thee to
The Judgment Day?
Is it All Saints’ Day?
Is it All Souls’ Day?
Is it All Fools’ Day?
Is it All Saints’ Day?
Is It All Souls’ Day?
Is it All Fools’ Day?
Is it Arbor Day?
Is it Boxing Day?
I’m sure today must be a
Minor holiday
And the world is ending
And we keep pretending
That none of this will matter in an hour
OVERWINTERED (2019)
Teeth chatter
Automatically
A beat clicking double-time
To the crunch of snow
An animal
Licks a beater
A Northern Flicker
Clucks a whimper
A beep goes off inside—
Is it time
— or just a timer?
Decalcomania
Ironed on our hides by the
Scarlet fever-stricken
Two-bit hypocritical
Neo-Puritans
Turning on a dime.
What are they?
A little more than kin
And less than kind
We live in the same
But we run on
Different time.
You are safe
You are sound
You are safe
You are sound
I feel your frequency
Resonate at my core
Enkindle my extremities
Echo through my bones
Hiccup out its tones
[…]
We face apocalypses every day
And fumble stricken phrases
We ball up to play:
When we feel forlorn
Just keep peeling those little oranges
They keep stealing, we keep peeling
Stuck on an uneven keeling
Every Great and Snowy Egret's
Speaking of my evening grossness
Every Evening Grosbeak's
Speaking of my great and snowy egress
Even if we deviate
Even if we deviate
The ice rink's set to counterclockwise
There's no exit till we skate
I lurch along the verge
A strawberryless frozen biscuit
My flimsy figure zero traps
A miraculous lemniscate
When the intercom comes through
I think I've lost my refound calling
Oh, Winter Tanager
You help me walk but you leave me crawling.
You are a cardinal
You are a cardinal
And I should be so lucky
As to be a part of you at all
You are safe
You are sound
You are safe
You are sound
[…]
You bring the tropics to these chilly parts
The contrast shocks my system
Chilblains swell upon my heart.