One Lie

I sat in the bathtub and watched it overflow
All naked and smiling
Right there by the window
I spilled a few secrets that trickled through town
But I can’t spill this one
Because everyone would drown

I put on my war paint and headed for the show
Stepped into the searchlight
And stood up on tiptoe
I told a few good jokes and milked the house dry
But I can’t tell this one
Because everyone would cry

No words
No weapons
Three wishes
One lie

And then there were dancers
And then there were clowns
And then came the censors
To shut the thing down
They said You are not in your places and why are you shouting
Now here is a Q-tip, go wait in the corner
No paper no scissors no razor no drama
No clipper no lighter no makeup no faces
No cargo no ego no air

I toppled the empire and bloodied up the stage
Offended the fan club
And savored the outrage
Played on through the gunfire, pretending to grieve
But I can’t play this one
Because everyone would leave

If I
Say nothing
Then nothing
Can deceive

No words
No weapons
Three wishes
One lie

The Closing Doors

So we were up late again
I said a few things I regret
I’ll have a look ’round the train
And in a mile I’ll forget
They could be people I know
I like the way he looks at her
The further uptown I go
The further into a blur
Do not lean on the doors do not lean on the doors do not lean on the doors
Or you might lose your focus

I make it up silently
The story inside everyone
The woman in therapy
The man concealing a gun
While overhead in the snow
A million cold feet caving in
The further uptown I go
The further into a spin

Did you mean to ask about the thing I meant to say
If I had time to work the words around
Would I think of any way to put it anyway
What’s the use, I can’t crawl back through this black hole
And tune up what I did
This is so stupid
This is too stupid
This is too stupid
This is-

The steady beat bends my ear
A lousy poet reads my mind
Too many brokers in here
Too many deals on the line
A million blank stares in a row
A million reruns of the trail
The further uptown I go
The further off I derail
Stand clear of the closing doors or you might lose your head
Stand clear of the closing doors or you might lose your head
Stand clear of the closing doors or you might lose your
Focus

Whenever I’m not around
I hope you’ll take care of your hands
And when I get back in town
Maybe we’ll try this again

Did you think I’d wreck my face for any drunken fool
Did you think I’d take on the human race fishing indiscriminately in the sucker pool
Did you think I meant to hug the whole town (though that might be what I did)
I meant you, stupid
I meant you, stupid
I meant you, stupid
I meant-
Ahhhhh

They turn the seat belt sign on
My gut is sinking through the air
I see the lights of my home
I fear the dark waiting there

Difficult

It it is is as as if if I am being warned to stay away
But some some how how through through all the honking horns I hear a famous poet say
Silly dreamer
Everyone knows that nothing is any good unless it’s difficult

It it has has been a hundred years since I have smiled at the sky
Or felt a California breeze and all its happy have-a-nice-days whooshing by
Silly rhymer
Everyone knows that beautiful is the opposite of smart

Then why was it so easy and afterwards there was the cab
Then I looked down and there in my hand was the book that de-
scribed what just happened
Very simple
Ahhh

But those were your words, those were your words
Somebody might recognize them
Those were your words, those were your words
Somebody might recognize them
Taxi blastings in the background
Somebody might recognize them
Those were your words, those were your words
Somebody might recognize them

Someone Else’s Sleep

Here in the dark, confused by the sound
Beat of a heart or train underground
I reach out to hold whatever’s there
Steady remains of old ecstatic air
But this is someone else’s hand
Floating in a field of softness
Turning into bones and sand
Sliding back into the ocean
This is someone else’s sleep
I would never dream such nonsense
Opening a stranger’s mouth
Naked city steam escaping
Better to get to me before I wake up
Better to get to me before I wake up
Better to get to me before I wake up
Better to get to me before I wake up

Here in the dark with the radio down
Nobody shot and nobody drowned
Rivers carry cures to stricken lands
Leaders kiss like lovers and hold each other’s hands
But this is someone else’s world
Glowing in a star trek future
I’m a Vaseline lens girl
Offering you peace and progress
This is someone else’s sleep
I would never dream such nonsense
Fingering a strange machine
Falling in a foreplay backwards
Better to get to me before I wake up
Better to get to me before I wake up
Better to get to me before I wake up
Better to get to me before I wake up

‘Cause you are the spoken of the still unsaid
And you are the ashes from the hi-rise dead
And you are the tongue-tip where the vowels elide
And you are the pesky rocket in my side
And you better not exist above these lines
And you better be the rapture in my wine

And in the morning when stories begin pouring from your orifices
You are almost human

These are not the stairs
That is not the door
This is not the daylight
It is a metaphor
These are not my feet
Flapping in the breeze
This is not the concrete
It is too slippery
That is not a traffic roar

And this is someone else’s stride
Moving someone else’s sidewalk
Staggering amazed and blind
Tripping over birds and buildings
This is someone else’s sleep
I would never dream such nonsense
Blinking through a stranger’s eyes
And you disappear through sunshine
Better to get to me before I wake up
Better to get to me before I wake up
Better to get to me before I wake up
Better to get to me before I wake up
Better to get to me before I wake up
Better to get to me before I wake up
Better to get to me before I wake up
Better to get to me before I wake up

The Gooseneck

I heard about people who steal moments
and put them in their pockets
If I met one I’d jerk him ’round the gooseneck and say
Stick that back on the dartboard where you found it
It was meant for the general public
They paid a hefty cover charge and a two-drink minimum

I heard about people who walk backwards
without looking where they’re going
If I met one I’d jerk him ’round the gooseneck and say
Turn your head for a block or two
so you don’t trip over your big dreams
and the cracks up and down your theory
but keep me posted ’cause I have to walk behind you like in China

Oh to be heartless in compartments
Oh to have one shoe in two apartments
Oh to be comfy with contortment
Oh to admit art as part of hurtment
Oh Oh Oh Oh
I heard about people guided only by epiphany
who forget to be amazed by things like children’s hands and falling buildings

I heard about people who talk only
to other people’s foreheads
If I met one I’d jerk him ’round the gooseneck and say
Look look look I’m shorter than you think
but that doesn’t mean I can’t tell what you’re up to
Ooh Ooh Ooh Ooh

This Loud

Banging on the piano like an angry
Baby you left the keys all
Black and blue you left my fragile little
Feelings feeling black and blue and
Black and blue and black and blue and black and blue and black
Banging on the piano like an angry
Baby you left the keys all
Black and blue you left my fragile little
Feelings feeling black and blue and
Black and blue and black and blue and black and blue and black
Did you not know your own strength
Did you not read between my lips when I cried
Help me quietly
Help me quickly
Little girl lost in the loins of this loud loud loud loud loud loud

Sucking on a cigarette I caught you
Coughing complaining throwing
Ashes on the furniture you left my
Shabby little sofa bed all
Blue and black and blue and black and blue and black and blue
Sucking on a cigarette I caught you
Coughing complaining throwing
Ashes on the furniture you left my
Shabby little sofa bed all
Blue and black and blue and black and blue and black and blue
Did you not know your own strength
Did you not read between my lips when I cried
Help me quietly
Help me quickly
Little girl lost in the loins of this loud loud loud loud loud loud

This loud
You spoke this loud
Your shirt’s this loud
The train’s this loud
The town’s this loud
My mistake was this
Loud

Be Careful

Do you ever find you’re starring in the story of your song
Do you ever bend your flimsy pen and twist the plot along
Do you ever thinly veil your grin when everything goes wrong
Be careful my friend
Or you may find you’re in the thick of it

Do you ever find that after a while there’s ink inside your skin
Do you tingle in your fingers as they swing from sin to sin
Do you keep kicking the habit until your legs and lungs give in
Be careful my friend
Or you may find that you are sick of it

The strange harsh hit, the smell of it
The skyscraper high, the new supply
The tenth floor ledge, the storm cloud’s edge
The wind in your hair
Your city’s not there…

Do you ever find you’ve smudged the line between machine and art
Be careful

Okay, here’s a good opportunity
You’ve got your tickets, your laptop, your platform boots, and a note from God giving you special permission ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

Try something nasty
Smile at the camera
Thrive on disaster

Meanwhile, bad rain blowing on the real radio
How you gonna fit this in the picture
Better do a few things around the house next time you have a spare moment or two moment or two a spare moment or two

The masking tape, the fire escape
The flashlight stash, the secret cash
Prepared and proud, you turn to the crowd
The wind in your hair
Your city’s not there
Your city’s not there…
Ahhh
Be careful
Be careful
Be careful

Body Parts

Every other night you feed me
Nasty little pills that leave me wanting more
So every other morning I drop
Something in the puddle just inside your door
One time it was my battery
One time it was the key to my left hemisphere
One time it was my bullet holder
One time it was my shoulder and that sticky tear
Now these are merely objects but if you
Lacquer them with poetry I think you’ll find it’s kind of clear
That even soaking wet this is the
Only chance you get to mold this minute
This reconstituted minute here
Give me back my body parts and
Vacuum up these scattered hearts and
Somewhere circling Mercury you’ll
Find the east and west of me

Every other day you hear the
Pretty things they say leak out your radio
And every other story has you
Rushing out the door forgetting things you know
One time it was your hero hand
One time it was your landing gear and metal toe
One time it was your rubberneck
Craning to see the wreck, it’s such a shocking show
Now these are merely objects but if you
Shoot ’em full of innocence I think you’ll find it’s kind of clear
That even as you sweat this is the
Only chance you get to mold this minute
This emaciated minute here
Come and get your body parts and
Vacuum up these purple hearts
I’ve got your guts and shiny shoe
What happened to the rest of you

Be home later
Be home later
Will you
Will you
All blown apart
All blown apart
All blown apart
All blown apart

Every other day was just like every other day out there in space and time
With someone his way to being everything they say above the dotted line
He was on his way to being traded for a dollar and a nonsense rhyme
Hell was full with bitter bones but
Heaven was a battle zone
When he shipped out all limb-from-limb
And no one got the best of him

Dada Exhibit

hfjrfiradiovnnjsuwkmgNPRvmbcvxgfstwbackgroundchattergsvcgyqiecasualtiesjfjbuhehf
advancedmedicaltechnologykglfkjlkjweubxdisabledisfigureueyuqbxvxworldwarwawawa

Whose disembodied kiss is this
Whose ticker tape expression and whose old Victrola voice
Whose partly naked nakedness in the clutches of a severed hand
Left to my own devices, I might interpret these images incorrectly
So the words on the wall tell us all, all of us, t-t-t-tell-ell-us-s-s-t-t-th-th-th-
the intent of another shell-shocked genius
I thought I had memorized his name for once
But now I am drawing a blank
I am drawing a blank

nowI’mbabblingaboutmorethingsandimagesinthemuseumyebdvabvfsdgbeautifulbeautifulhorrible
jqhhvceqlookcloserlookawaytqdcsgsthepoemwillresembleyou

Whose gentlemanly hat was that
Self-propelled in unison with other hats and tricky disappearances
Depictions ripped up and rearranged all wrong
A limb out of place, a face without a face
It all made perfect sense for a moment there
When color and shape and love and war and ! and ? and # and ^ and * and < were equally absurd and for a moment there I thought I had figured out some parting words But now I am drawing a blank I am drawing a blank (Cello interlude) So I have memories of bad dream teeth And a pile of inspired ink still warm from the latest protest And an overpriced sketchbook from the gift shop And all the disfigurements that I deserve So clearly inadequate in notes and words I thought I might illustrate with lines and curves But now I am drawing a blank I am drawing a blank I am drawing Hey I did not cry on the way home In case you were wondering how things turned out I did not crawl under a stone or rant like an activist into the phone I took a turn, skipped down the sidewalk Love is to learn and sink is to sway I could have killed some passing civilians So aren't we all lucky it's such a nice day Hey The weather's fine, the wine's divine The cat looks okay I did not fly into the zone In case you were wondering how things went down I did my hijacking alone and dropped a few levels into the unknown I found a drum, a pipe and a purpose Came up with something clever to say: We have confused theater with murder But everyone's clapping, it's such a good play Hey The show is on, the guilt is gone The cat looks okay (Cello looping section, solos) Hey you're back in town Hey you're zipper's down Hey your rhythm's off Hey you gained a pound Hey you drove on by Hey you shot a guy Hey your missile missed Hey you hit the sky All on a beautiful day in the city Feed me Someone longing says Feed me Someone busking says Hear me Someone preaching says clearly All you have to do is pray Hey The winners won, the deed is done and God got his way Hey The planet's red, the trees are dead The cat looks okay Shrapnel Mmmmm mmmmm Try, care, where, where am I lying Woah woah woah woah woah woah Didn't I drown The last lie was effortless, different from the first She had arranged to have her feelings never take her by surprise A moment to drop the bomb, a year or two to burst Then she cleaned the house, took a shower and moved on to other lies And though she tried to tread carefully her wet feet kept picking up little pieces of shrapnel still lying on the ground And she wondered she wondered she wondered she wondered she wondered she wondered: Didn't I just sweep this or did I merely spread it around Mmmmm mmmmm The weekend, the argument, the customary thrills The exploding into silence, the sudden urge to speak The soft touch, the stupid joke, the paying of the bills Then she woke up Monday morning and began another week And though she tried to tread carefully her wet feet kept picking up little pieces of shrapnel still lying on the ground And she wondered she wondered she wondered she wondered she wondered she wondered: Didn't I just sweep this or did I merely spread it around Mmmmm mmmmm The death toll was rising, the radio was loud She had missed another rally getting ready for her show The whole mess was all her fault, but what could she do now So she washed her hair as usual and blew up the radio And though she tried to tread carefully her wet feet kept picking up little pieces of shrapnel still lying on the ground And she wondered she wondered she wondered she wondered she wondered she wondered: Didn't I just sweep this or did I merely spread it around Didn't I just sweep this or did I merely spread it around Didn't I just sweep this or did I merely spread it around, spread it around, spread it around, spread it around spread it around, spread it around, spread it around, spread it around The earthquake was nothing new, they happened every day She was ready for the big one, there were chains around the shelves She crawled out from under it, just laughed and walked away Then she changed her name and said good-bye to all those shaky former selves And though she tried to tread carefully her wet feet kept picking up little pieces of broken dreams still lying on the ground And she wondered she wondered she wondered she wondered she wondered she wondered: Didn't I just sweep this or did I merely spread it around Mmmmm mmmmm