swim awayswim away


paper tyger
burning bright
in the forests
of the night
caught in
screens of
black
forest trees
paper tyger
burn
the night

swimaway swim away

paper tyger
burning bright
in the forests
of the night
burn
the woods
burn
the woods down
burn it all
but keep me
alive
keep me alive

keep me
alive
i will eat
the moss
out of
your sinews

keep me
a life
living off
of stardust
and of mildew

keep me
keep me

embers flicker
embers flicker
i will eat
the ashes
of your
heart

burn it all
burn it all down
don't let me
fade away

paper tyger
burning bright
in the forests
of the night
fill the sky
fill the sky
with glories
from your
lanterns
burn the night
burn the light
paper tyger
burning bright

swim away swimaway

why shoot the cartoon bird
why nip the buds
why shoot the kids
why trap the self-amused boy

he goes to Church five times a day




beat the bad dog
                                                bad bad dog with the blue collar
                                         the bad bad dog
                                         the  big bad dog
till he weeps watercolour

praise the dog
who picks up fragments
of yourself
as you walk dead
                   dead
         dead                     very dead
among your fellow zombies

july belongs to you,
and songbird. the wind
won't stop whistling,
shaking the trees
amidst the aftermath of
Night-storm.

look, river-and-sea. we
are all but caught in
dream after dream,
weaving parallel time-
lines and fragments
of our memories.

see, i told you.
it is what it is when
i put the book down as
you stare out into the
woods through
the ***** pane.

i want you.
i whisper breath-
lessly. summer, but not
quite. you see, believe me
when i say.

july belongs to you.

Girls with beautiful eyes
shouldn't die but that's
the thing.

we all fade away

wish upon
a red
paper plane
on a dock
by
the river

i pray
to be
a fish instead
swimming                                 endless
and forever.


---


wish upon
the orange
float glass
on the old
and crumbling
jetty

i pray
to be
a rotting
             tree
feeling
numb and
dumb and
                                           dry—

i

it's alright
you can sit on the moon
whenever you like
you can fish
for stars and comets
you can put them
in your pocket,
if you want
it's alright

ii

you can stay in
their flowerbox
if you want to
no one will warn you
no one will harm you
they will not
bloom without you
it's alright

iii

you can swim in
their fishbowl if
you feel like it
take it as
your own little sea
all the corals
and fishes
and mermaids
and shells that sing
and candy-coloured rocks
are yours

iv

you can build a castle
on the ocean floor
Atlantis is yours
it's alright

v

you can have all these things
and be what you want to be
it's alright
it's all right.