A small grove of trees,
A white picnic bench,
And the line that runs from birth to eternity
Began to waver.
I think maybe we both saw it,
Me and the one I was with,
But maybe I was the only one
Who wanted to escape
From the undertow that would pull us under.
And I reached out a hand to say,
“I don’t have to be the only one.”
But as the waves crashed around
I felt no fingers wrap around my wrist.
The water rose up to my chin
When I was rescued from the tide,
But I was saved,
So I’m alive!
Can you imagine a sky made of bronze,
To be cloistered in under no exit,
No flight of the bird,
To watch hope fade away?
Can you see the heaviest of raindrops
On a wilted flower that was once beautiful?
Does beauty go away so easily
And does that lovely tree I remember
In the field of grace and compassion
Really fall away under the furnace heat of heaven?
I would save it if I could.
I sought a way to bring the wilted flower inside,
To maybe water it
With a more gentle shower of mercy.
But I had to let it go.
No, I can’t save,
But I’m alive!
So now I wonder about the birds
Who glide up into the air
Away from the approaching storm.
You showed me how to be free again,
To wander onto a new path,
Into a new field,
A meadow of such beauty
That reminded me again of what I am looking for.
You were there
And you are here with the stars
In the clear bright sky
Of amazing grace and a longing generation.
You showed me that maybe red eyes
Are just a sign of the love and hope
I could never complete on my own.
Only you can save,
And I’m alive!
So here we sit and here we stand,
Reading these lines
Again and again.
Here we are,
You and I,
Here together now
And here wondering about forever
And wondering about the past,
Considering if love this time or that time
Is ever the love that I talk about.
But I wonder, with all that happens,
Do you still hold to the notion
That you have nothing to regret?
What could I have to regret?
Every joy is joy
And every misery is learning.
I am here now and the road
Is made for this moment.
I am here with you now,
And so how could I ever take back anything
To keep me from you?
And so you have all those meadows journeyed
When you learned the meaning of love.
But would you take back those moments
When I called you
And you never picked up the phone?
Dear love, could I take it back?
Can I take back what I’ve done to you?
Can I not have the blood
On my hands
On my hair
Mixed with the dirt on the ground
And splashed on my legs?
Shall I give it back
For all of those nights it was just me
With selfish me
And I didn’t have the decency to listen
When you wanted to talk?
This wolf with blood on its teeth
Begins to look an awful lot like me.
Just rest now.
Here in the cool of fresh air
And here in the warmth of welcoming arms,
Just rest now.
No, you can’t give it back.
I won’t let you give it back.
It is free.
