A Sleeper's Cell
It was colder weather, when I left
Still winter in the bottom drawer
Photographs and birthday cards--
humming hard, December streetlights
still laughing at chilly footsteps
one-two
one-two
No three-four
Now wake up August heat undressed
Yeah, wake up next to skeletons
who "think that we should just be friends."
And--anyway--the bedroom's small
barely bigger than a closet
Fall asleep in sheets of sweat
claw for the ceiling
dreaming heavy
Awake. Wet pillow.
Tousled hair at 4 a.m.
And, for my part, the ceiling clawmarks
soak my dreams up, snow in sheet rock
spells your name
(I should prob'ly wash my sheets)
Though I'm often soused on beer,
When Autumn comes, I clearly hear, through crisping air,
their wilting voices hailing
while I try to soothe the
drowsy year
But it's still cold and I'm still here
though "here" has moved
and every year is heating
so, I repeat, repeat, repeat
"What starts September
dies November
February fucking hurts
the same way as July."
The bottom drawer's still cased in winter
Skeletons still claw the doors
I sweat. I shiver.
FUCK I miss you...
Hope you're living. Me? I'm aging
Faster than I was before.