In That Moonlit Night Standing In The Abaft,
Watching The Towed Flaccid Wooden Raft,
I Thought That I Saw An Angel Resting,
Lying Exhausted There In That Craft.

I Call The Girl Out Unbeknownst Of Her Kind Name,
"Hey Young Lady!!" To Which She Didn't Much Respond,
She Looked Up Towards Me Once In Anguish & Collapsed,
I See Desperation In Her Amber Eyes & Resolve To Help Her.

The Crewmen Had Now Been Doing The Paddles After Resting,
I Summon My Captain & Ask, "Do You See That Girl In The Raft?"
The Captain Now Smiles To Say, "Commodore, Better Get Married,"
I Look Just Clueless To Which He Simply Replies, "There Is No Girl."

True He Was As She Had Simply Disappeared,
I Started Thinking Of My Sleep Needs That Day,
I Looked Around Again In A Hope To Find The Girl,
I Had Compromised My Routine As The Commodore.

Then I Immediately Realized It Was My Wild Phantasm,
Now This Was Just A Plain Illusion Of A Tired Sailor's Mind,
No Mermaids Could Have Ever Existed In Reality & Were Fake,
I Turned Towards The Deck To Go Back To My Bunk For Sleeping.

As I Climbed Down The Stairs To Enter My Room Amazed & Dazed,
I Saw Her Standing And Waiting For Me By The Side Of My Bunk,
I Accepted That Delusion Of My Mind & Started To Lie Down,
She Said, "I'm As Real As Your Thoughts, Don't Fear Me."

She & I-Me & Her, Had The Best Time That Night,
In The Morning She Was Gone & Was Just Gone,
Disappeared Into Thin Air While I Was Asleep,
Each Day I So Dearly Long For Her To Return.

"It's not for sale,
You can't buy my love."

Then I replied,
"But I can trade it for love."*

Gladly enough,
She agreed & gave in to my touch.

that was the summer my mom quit her job. she had to stay home with me because i wouldn't stop crying and dripping blood on the carpet.

that was the summer i started smoking cigarettes because tobacco tasted better than the ghost of your lips on mine.

that was the summer i didn't leave my room. i was afraid to see the world. i was mostly afraid to see you again.

that was the summer my dad tried to unload his gun in my head. he said he did it out of love. i think he was scared.

that was the summer you broke my heart. you told me i was too difficult to love. it's been years since i've last held you but i still can't seem to forget the feeling of my hands on your waist.

that was the summer i wish i spent kissing you

that was the summer i wish you didn't leave.