Tell me
Tell me things I’ve heard before
Tell me things I’ve never believed
Until I heard them from your lips
Your perfect lips
Tell me about the universe, my dear
Tell me about the stars and how to paint them
I will tell you about the atoms they are made of
And how there are so many more stars
Tell me about the mountains and how to climb them
I will tell you about the cliffs off of which I fell
Tell me about the music and how to play it
How to sing it
I will tell you about the flats and sharps
Until my voice becomes coarse
Tell me about the brick walls you admire so
I will tell you how to pull them apart
With bare hands
The same bare hands
That still have footprints on my back

Tell me about the ocean
And how I will drown in its waters
Tell me how the moon apologizes to the waves
For ever making them feel so powerful
Tell me how to steal the moonlight from the shore
And keep it in a jar to collect dust on a shelf
I wish I knew where I put that jar
Tell me about the coral reefs and the cuts they leave
I will stumble over blisters still
And drag myself across the shores with no moonlight
Tell me you don’t want me to have the blisters
Tel me, as I try to paint the stars for you
As I try to climb the mountain
Tell me about the sun
And how it never apologizes
For burning so bright
I will show you my scars

Tell me how to paint the stars
Tell me, my dear