Something’s wrong.

The river stopped.

The birds are gone,

crashed through our frozen windowpane.

My knuckles ache,

fingers stretched out.

The streets are fake –

I wish I could explain.

You could listen as I told the details of the day,

how each day’s shorter and more cold,

but I can’t bring myself [...]

Hold close onto my coat.

Try not to make a sound.

Hold close onto my coat

or we’ll be found.

Stay near to the wall as they pass.

Time for one final breath –

try to make it last.

The rumors chill my bones

(about the ones they’ve trapped).

The rumors chill my [...]

Silent, silent,

miles below the ground,

trembling as the button’s pressed.

Silent, silent,

cracking through the mountains

its particles ingest.

Silent, silent,

beneath the harbor walls,

heading down the docks again.

Silent, silent,

breathing on the window;

it’s dying to get in.

(oh be ess ee ess ess ee dee)

Go back [...]

My mind is set

to try to forget the working day.

I’ve trained enough –

been practicing what to say.

I’ve done the research to death;

I think I can pass tonight.

I’ll wear the clothes,

I’ll drink,

and hope everything’s alright.

We can pretend this weekend.

We’ll be best friends this weekend.

[...]

A moment in the park

before it gets too dark.

I’m trying to relax,

but insects fill our tracks.

The steps we leave are taken by

barbarians and slugs –

at least we have the kites above,

tied to us on strings of love.

Connected at the wrist

for one last summer’s tryst

[...]

(ooh aah ooh aah)

I want to sacrifice myself to the volcano.

I want to see just how far down the fucker goes.

Throw away the burning reservations –

I might not get them back, but I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care.

(ooh aah ooh aah)

I want to kill [...]

(shoo bop bop)

Eight years I’ve been off the road,

(shoo bop bop)

but life at home has been a heavy load.

(shoo bop bop)

Two kids and far too much land.

I know they won’t approve, but I hope they understand.

Late at night the bottle rattles,

rolling on the floor to [...]

You show up late when it happens, looking for a ledge and eyes to watch you.

One last poem from the napkin, for your teary guests below,

but I’m not crying.

You’re still a fifteen-year-old industry captain.

You still cash the same old checks, and I’m not bought.

A few cheap months follow, [...]

With all the sirens I unwittingly had stepped above it,

the yellow ribbon meant to keep us out.

The helicopter overhead getting the footage of it,

the broken window he had hurdled through.

They said that he was split in two.

They said that he was split in two.

I couldn’t help [...]