My mind is all precarious.
It’s a marble on the table
That went wheeling in the water
Of the flood, and if I let it
It’ll roll in one direction
‘Til the rolling turns to falling,
Turns to sinking,
Turns to silence.
But I can keep it
Rolling ‘round in circles:
Keep it orbiting
A center that’s not there.
All the water waits.
It’s waiting still.
All the levees break.
They always will.
But the water isn’t water,
It’s got gasoline and blood,
Rotting vegetables and ink
That mix like glue into the mud, until it’s
Filling up your calendar
For the next couple years,
‘Til it’s pushing back
Retirement.
And suddenly,
A picture of my mother,
It goes smiling, stained
And spinning through the air.
All the water waits.
It’s waiting still.
All the levees break.
They always will,
Always will.
Is it like breathing underwater?
Like swimming out in space?
Can you still go for your walks?
Is there a difference at all?
Can you remember how it was?
Is it too hard to compare?
Is it too dark for you tonight?
Or are all the streets on fire?
Can you see me from where you are?
Can you sleep? Are you alone?
Are you here, or are you gone?
Or are you anything at all?
So you see, I keep
Rolling ‘round in circles.
I keep orbiting
A center that’s not there.
