1. |
What Befalls Us
03:02
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Written on the surface of the moon
a history of chance encounters
perhaps a fate of
collisions and craters
is the price you pay
to swim the Milky Way
and dance endlessly among the stars
Here, we lie awake at night
hold each other close in worry
trouble in our hearts
and to my thoughts
a question surfaces
unbidden from the depths
a line from Levertov, if I recall:
“Are we what we think we are
or are we what befalls us?”
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2. |
Absentia
02:47
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I cherish your letters
but I keep them unopened
and I mark them return to sender
because the suspense is grilling me
lightly, with butter and lemon
And I will marinate in this hope while I can
until life’s reverse blender
takes this smoothie of possibilities
and pours out a blueberry
or a bitter November
or a light in your doorway
that bids me to enter
Please don’t mistake my delay for uncertainty
or a clumsy game of playing hard to get
you don’t scroll past the movie for the credits
I’m not done savoring the anticipation yet
But for all my reluctance to move past this moment
the talk of food is making me hungry
for blueberries
and chilly Novembers
and a light in your doorway
that bids me to enter
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3. |
Perspective Lies
04:05
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You are not the sum of your mistakes
you’ve only lost the innocence that
self-awareness amputates
you are not the sum of your mistakes
just reeling from the sting
of a guilty conscience
and a loss of face
But perspective lies
from every angle
we all seek the ley lines
when the truth is tangled
Once you held a future in your mind
it didn’t much resemble
the mess you leave behind
but you are not the sum of your mistakes
even as you take the blame
and watch your friends recalculate
Perspective lies
from every angle
we all seek the ley lines
when the truth is tangled
perspective lies
from every angle
we all seek the ley lines
when the truth is tangled
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4. |
Asked and Answered
03:13
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A little more scorn if you can
straight into the camera
look down your nose
raise those eyebrows
really sell it
you asked me, and I answered
serves me right
Let’s have some old-fashioned condescension
let them feel you in the cheapest row
you can roll your eyes in exasperation
if it helps to drive it home
I can’t believe I fell for that one
serves me right
Gotta work on your timing, though
when to enter, when to go
some say the music happens
between the notes
there’s your answer
there’s your answer
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5. |
Amid the Clamor
03:23
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A row of poplars drains the gloaming from the sky
like sponges soaking up a spill
the wait staff hover in our sight line
keen to bring the final bill
a tall wave of conversations breaking
so many screeching gulls amid the foam
I long to be away from here
and sit with you alone
A little calm amid the clamor
open sky beneath the moon
a quiet pool for the lily of your thoughts to bloom
this I have to offer you
One spring evening in Puerto Vallarta
I saw a fairytale come true
the trunks of all the palms were painted white
a couple strolled the avenue
stars winked at possibilities
the ocean whispered of romance
and by la Fuente de la Amistad
a singer beckoned as they passed
A little calm amid the clamor
open sky beneath the moon
a quiet pool for the lily of your thoughts to bloom
this I have to offer you
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Last Charge of the Light Horse New York
Last Charge of the Light Horse was formed in 2004 as a vehicle for songwriter Jean-Paul Vest's nuanced examinations of the quiet joys and struggles of everyday life.
www.lastcharge.com
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