the song sets you free

the wood and the nail cutter

a drum of unwashed water

   glass bottles

gone all asunder

dare you to heaven

         you alone

    when the unaffected by

one little day of

bright-light-truth

         get to   even

and if the cat’s been eating rats

he is not hungry for power

   anymore

he only hungers

    for more rats

      and bottle caps

the afternoon wasted

on honey

            and naps

feeling the effects

   of the latest relapse

the lack of sleep

      and confidence

motivation-ambience

but smiles are still

   collectible

and that’s nice to see

            with a paranaque wink

      this hand holding decree

it’s too far to walk

      she said

and the traffic

   is busy busy buzzy

it’s bizzy

      like neighbor-bees

swirling and cutting

at anything with knees

      that’s you boy

            and now   it’s me

   well now

      now

i need to go sleep

the words that i say

      are the ones that i mean

sleep the warm still night

      to fix aches in my head

and make my back forget weeks

   of trying so hard to make

                  these two ends meet

thank you for introducing them to each other

   for me

            and

sweet dream the street dreams

      where the song sets you free

dark orange

    this dear rea

sweetly sleeping

     the sweet dreaming

in proper uk english

            keeping both of our secrets

       we pass notes of affection

each night/morning

      and morning/night

           from up in the air

from thousands of miles

      and i'm not even sure if it's right

but i'll see her again

      tonight

         tonight

i didn't love because it didn't love

we hardly even knew each other

and that was the glue

      stuck us together

kept us on the ground

while the peaches are in season

the trees just in reach

there’s little left to do

            but teach

i won’t let anyone hurt the pearl

the laudanum

      the mild form of the wild world

none of us

and none of this

      will make amends

let’s not be friends

   let’s not be trite

did you hear the truth song

                                the one by the giant

   ninety three

the more fool   i

it’s an estimate

            of what it’ll be

what you’ll see

in the land of cotton

where old times are

      all but forgotten

palm trees and sunshine

the basis of every story

from the gulf

      but smaller   seven

left to fend for himself

the aristocrat

            the girl

it’s easy to tell the stories

if you don’t let the truth

get in the way

make it a blue dress

make it so there’s

no need to confess

so there’s nothing to regret

      on the shore

in eighty four

      at seventeen

said i didn’t love

because it didn’t love

   in the art class

elaine floyd

   said

what

      said

   how

she was a hippie then

but she’s

      a hypocrite

now

chinese translation #17

did happiness hit you

   on your way to the gate

the large numbered door

which is small

         compared

   to the floor

people are much

      and it will be possible

to hit

   to smile

         wide

for them

            to let you

in

   side

why

      would you want to go

what

      is in there to know

chinese translation # 13

cut and visit the sea

   often

i can do it

the truth is there

         it is a talented teacher

fierce

      but fringe

you know it's time for you to go

 in the company of corpses

      three nights

   three times

         three

   and then

it’s up to me

they don’t say anything

they aren’t listening

   but

one shifted

and turned in the night

i woke

with a start

   asked ‘is everything allright?’

   before i chance remembered

before i gave to flight

   i tried

now   i no more read it

than lived it

      that’s just the facts

the fuse was dipped

then lit

   it glowed a good long time

      in low light

the higher the hang

the more dead   the ore

and that leads directly

   back to the corpse

have no doubt that the logic is sound

the sun comes up

just as surely as it goes down

now   if you’d come in the summertime

when there’s more accommodating ground

when the sight doesn’t much bother

    with the sound

and the hills hold fate

in the meaning of song

   they know how to sing

how to sing along

   alone

and undone

that’s english

where you feign death

the pressure works

from either end

to your middle

     muddled

big pressure

waits for words

understands what is heard

friendly chinese

two hours

or three

do not use

   this time

to explain

      use the time

to reclaim the remains

   introspection

is your name

that water was cold enough

and the bottle filled right on up

but   i bow out

hold back

   held down

         it is no worry of mine

on a black horse

   for hope

and through the kind of rain

that only wants to be

   snow

it weeps

  then it moans

you know it’s time

      for you to go