you're so close you're blending
into the sheets i pull over us
to keep us warm like flames
are licking at our backs like
a dog might lick you out of joy

and it's lethargic,
often cathartic,
to rest these aching bones
i'm afraid to call you my lover;
you're afraid of getting old

and i hear music from a distant room;
we are not alone.

so lay here like a secret,
although you're not one of my own

my secret is you aren't one,
and everyone around
knows of how you move me
when the circus is in town

i'll paint my smile,
watch you fly above the chandelier
if i stop being a fool for you
will you come back out of fear?

fire, earth, wind, and sea
we travel to them all
you, my big top lover
and i, still feeling small

will paint on a brand new face
as you walk the thinnest line
you say we don't mean anything,
but you're running out of time.