the man with the mirror
walks a tender pace
when they ask who he is
he holds it to their face

sometimes he holds it
to the sky or to the sea
when they ask who he is
he says everything but me.

if it's hard being me
for all of the things i carry,
then it's harder being you
because you carry me.

tears you hold back
do the only reasonable thing.
first they fill your feet and hands
and make it hard to dance.
then they fill your heart and lungs
and make it hard to sing.
and when they finally reach your eyes
well, it's not for want of try.
for tears you hold back
do the only reasonable thing.

What’s it mean to see
A nest exposed in a naked tree?
Since neither you know nor me
Let’s call it poetry.

There's a new bird that's blind,
Who's up and sings at night.
"Poor thing," say the others,
"She doesn't know what's true."
And they lose all their sleep
While she does quite alright.

A little turtle died one morning --
No bigger than a quarter.
Just sank to the bottom
Of her tank full of water.

Her owners took her out
And dug her a little grave --
Said a few words,
And then dodged the rain.

It poured for hours,
Like the sky was made of the sea.
And soon enough its power
Drew the little turtle
From her muddy sleep.

She bumped along the rocks,
Then bumped along the tires;
Rode the tumbling water
To her heart's quiet desire.

When the rain finally stopped,
Her shell had cracked through.
But the sky was the sky again,
And something else was right, too.

People always say that diamonds are forever.
Well so are Mondays and so are stains,
And other things I'd name if I were more clever.
So I choose the rose to carry through the rains.
For what's more like love than something that dies,
And what's my love for you if not the act
Of washing out the vase and setting it to dry,
And then getting more -- yes, that's the pact --
For nothing's more like love than trying it again.
And today we'll kiss and tomorrow we'll cry,
But when we love again, well, it'll be a new rose then.
For this time you'll have set the vase out to dry,
And I will watch as you carefully make our bed,
And decide that I'd love to make it instead.