Lucy Knisley Follow

My cab flies by the advertisements
alcohol and exercise
I've only been around now for an hour

The light is changing
day is fading
night is fast resuscitating
all the simple loneliness I've found

Take a right here, driver,
I am going into town
if you don't mind
you can drop me off here at the corner
if you would be so kind
I've been traveling many hours to get here
go ahead and keep the change
don't you think the snow will turn to rain?

High hopes and heavy snows
I'm feeling rich but really broke
a lonely jar of olives in the fridge
Drunk on my familiar things
my paper hats and cardboard wings
for once no dirty dishes in the sink

Heart attack at coming back
it feels so easy to unpack
my feathers, shells, and broken bottles
time to face the facts
I turn down the bedspread
there's a midnight movie playing on TV
I'll watch it til I fall asleep

Rooftops whitening with the snowfall
look blueish in the darkening day
I've been away

Old refrain it's all the same
at six a.m. the snow is grey
battered by the morning in the rain

Time change has me bleary-eyed
emotionally paralyzed
blinking in a new or older day

Maybe there's a lesson here
in patience or in perseverance
but it's hard to feel before my tea

Shut the bedclothes
fill the cupboards
my one room is feeling snug
there's someone clapping off the beat.