“Too young to hold on,
and too old to just break free and run.”
(#ThrowbackThursday – old writing of mine)
Dewella
(by me)
originally written August 2004
I bet you taste like strawberry lip gloss,
sweet and sticky,
humidity rising beneath your sun-kissed skin,
blushed bright and shining,
with a speck of Winter grey,
hiding in the back of your throat,
the back of your mind,
Jane,
the peculiar soul twin of a girl with a hidden map,
behind her eyes.
Two left feet,
timid and tongue-tied,
you would guess I talk in circles to keep in time,
to keep in line.
I would sit back and let you capture these thoughts,
if I knew how to streamline them,
reign them in,
tie them up in a chocolate sundae surprise,
wax lyrical about the bend of your toes,
the peach colored shadows that travel and outline,
the room beyond.
Perhaps it would be about something larger,
our own little state of the union,
etched into our skin,
under a blue frayed sheet,
the window propped open by an overdue library book,
pages earmarked,
torn,
wet from the bath,
you know I am even clumsy with other people’s words,
don’t you?
Yes,
I guess you still know how I feel,
all my coffee covered wisdom tooth nonsense,
a parade of distractions,
elephants and daisy chain poems,
written on the back of my cigarette pack,
thrown away before I could give it to you,
a kiss on your shoulder,
meant to fall down lower,
deeper still.
These seconds are remarkable,
whispers and breaths,
green and yellow,
blue,
two palm trees and a neon sign,
a different utterance,
a new life,
a re-stitched line,
full of listless wonder and awe,
you can see it if you squint,
stand on one foot,
hold your words in,
there is a window in the back,
two pillows,
and a stereo,
you could read each page by memory,
and just lie back.
I want to see if you can read my lips this time,
and feel how they land.
Lover, You Should’ve Come Over (live)
Beautiful! Love the song and dare I say, your poem rivals Jeff’s lyrics. Buckley would be proud!
Well, I don’t know about that – but thank you. You know how much I love Jeff’s music.
I still remember reading that book you had on this album back-and-forth on the Red Line in Chicago.
I remember hearing “Flowers in Time” in Chicago when you were back in Fullerton and wishing you could hear it with me. And then months later we heard it together in the car with the littl’ns in the back, one of those nights we went driving with mixtapes turned up, windows rolled down, taking in the sights and sounds… remember that? Yes that book, I still have it. One of the best books on Buckley.
Yes, of course I remember. You sent me Flowers in Time on a mix CD that I still have. You were in Chicago still, and yes, I was in Fullerton. If I recall, the song came right before Johnny Cash’s I Still Miss Someone.
I remember those drives, too…through Pasadena at night. I also remember the drive back-and-forth to Santa Barbara, we listened to the song then, too. Still one of my all-time favorite duets.
Wonderful memories.
I agree. Those songs are the soundtrack to our time together. We will always have the music! Who else was on that mix, btw?
I’ll have to check when I’m home. From memory? Elliott Smith, Johnny Cash, Wilco, the Buckley/Fraser duet, maybe Polly Jean?
Yes, they are soundtracks. I’m glad I have all the mixes still, some of our writing, photographs – but more than that, memories.