on grieving

a simple song composed for my dear friend michael.  he's one of the strongest, most magical people i have the pleasure of knowing and i feel like i grow just being around him.  he's the sunshine to my sometimes overwatered potted-plant-self.  one of the biggest lessons i've learned from him is about moving through unavoidable difficult situations, devouring them as though they are a meal one is forced to eat and then digesting that meal, using it as a necessary fuel, and finally letting it go.

the video below was recorded at the first volume of The Song Arcade at Ars Nova in new york city on december 9, 2011.

on grieving

as you arrived today
you looked up and saw the mealy gray
too much to broach but as it couldn’t help but encroach upon your red eyed revival
you opened your mouth and breathed it in anyway
as you sat down today
to a feast prepared by some mistake
too much to eat too cold to reheat
but i know you don’t like things to go to waste
give me a morsel i’m hungry and worn
feed me with yesterday’s forms
as you were shot down today
the sky crystallized into a dense and dazzling cave
and in your grotto like a hedonist Giotto your fingers exploded with your pain
turning your dark night into an azure day
give me a mantra i’m broken and hoarse
heal me by sharing your voice
as you left the ground today
i couldn’t help but remember to pray
and in my throat a single note came up from the down and moved through my crown to reach you
in the skyway
give me a melody i’ll give you mine
let’s sing in and out of time
3x