you are broken
shattered
lost

i know that the memory
of what you used to be
is fading

how will you ever
put yourself back together again?
how will you ever
find your home?

here is what i have done:

take the jagged pieces
of your broken being,
*and turn yourself into a mosaic

i am afraid to love you
because the thing i have loved the longest
lays on my pillow in tatters

a bunny, a delicate thing
handed to me in the confines of my crib
the one consistent comfort i was allowed

threads pulled loose, silken fabric stained
she has known the sewing needle
like i have known the surgery knife, afraid

i am afraid to love you
because my need reduces the loved
to something ragged
seventeen years, a hundred washes
graying fabric
half a dozen holes

i am afraid to love you
and i do not wish to see
your threads come loose
because of me

my veins are on fire
my blood is straight whiskey
you were an alcoholic prior,
and i know you like it risky

succumbing to the temptation of pain
hand me a sacred image
and i'll turn it into a game
never a love i had to hide either,
never had a love for the theatres

of all the calamities
it's this one that does it.
chewing on fantasies
wears my bite down.
i'm eroding,
my feathers are fading         away.
i'm going,
to be someone

someday.

sing me a lullaby, Mr. Piano Man
you've been so quiet tonight
the bar's all empty, except for me
are you sure you're feeling alright?

now's no time for tonic and gin
i know you're afraid to feel again
oh, remember the roar of the piano!
but now you hardly brush the keys...
it's a love story for the bleeding
and there's a place in your mind
where you'd rather be

oh serenade your empty heart
focus on the beat
i know it's hard sometimes
but you will find your melody

and i know you hear me plea,
"Mr. Piano Man, play the one
that your heart plays
when you're anywhere but at your best."

so sing me a lullaby, Mr. Piano Man
you've been so quiet tonight
and i'm all out of memories
are you sure you're feeling alright?