I like
The way I smell like you
When I wear your clothes

The inconvenient plant on Tess' table
And the haunted laundry room at Jess'
(The ghost, we've named him Steve)

I can always be safe, if I want to
When I'm around the two of you

And Tess is always catching me from just around the bend of sanity
When I think that I don't know why I'm slipping
Because I think she knows much more than she lets on
About losing to your dark psychoses

But Jess keeps me in touch,
And I really love her for it,
With her dreams and wishes and driving lessons
And her bold vegan ways in a place that is so unfriendly

Sometimes when I'm alone at home and
Cabin fever is much too catching
I'll talk to them and it dissipates so easily
(like gentle mist)

Aside from their assistance, they are beautiful
Their minds are whirling marvels,

And they make me laugh
At awkward intervals
When everyone else in the room is trying
Oh-so-hard to wear austerity
But I am never ashamed

Dancing just outside my reach
Twisting little wraiths
Fractures of a beautiful creature
On the tip of my tongue
I can almost name its name
In a mocking manner
They twirl just a breath further than where I reach
Pretty pale pastels
And vibrant, verdant hues
Whisper just beyond where I can stretch
And they will go on turning
Lilting music murmuring
A background

I
Am not afraid of dying
As you are
I am not
Afraid of dying
With the dread
that you are
I am
Not afraid of dying
on the same level

I'll tell you the story
Sometime
When you stop with the winglessness

I am lonely for you
Which is strange to me,
I do not love you
I don't want your mouth on mine
I don't want your hand on my back
I do not wish we could be together
I do not wonder about the future
  (or try to draw you into it with a charcoal pencil)
But I am lonely for you
I want you, want you, truly, as my friend
But not very close,
I like to keep my distance until I decide
  to give permission
Maybe I will ask you
What you think of kelp
And myths
And a thousand other things
And still I will not know
You see!
I am not lonely for you for a while
And then I think
That I like your jokes
And I wish you could tell me one now
I could use a laugh

I kept a box in the corner
Little box in the corner
Bright colored paper with ribbon
I kept a box in the corner
And dressed it all up
So that no one would find it
Among the other pretty stuff
But now that you've found it
You don't want to let go
You say it's fascinating,
That you're learning things you didn't know
How do I know that
You're telling the truth
How do you do that?
Manage to point out my youth
I've got a little box in the corner
Bright colored paper and ribbon
Little little box in the corner
Where am I going to hide it now?
It's a safe for my letters
And jail for the darkness
A bowl for catching fresh-falling rain
Where am I going to put it now?
It's the closest I've got
To Pandora's chest
But it's still enough to incriminate
Box in the corner, blue satin wrapping
Box in the corner, tarnished brass clasps
Box in the corner, holding me inside

we're tip tip tipping
tap tap tapping out a rhythm for our breath
sweet ladles laden lady leaden candles
sticks candlesticks
lime sweet ricky baby
rolling rolling heavy cajoling
you want to know you want to know
greens orange peach and parkas
time with only embers
smelling sweet of sand glass green
lightning what a pretty king

I don't know if
                
                   what a terrible mundane

We can't go with

                   don't talk to me about staying sane

Please don't guard shift

                  you really don't grasp my brain