By ear

The ground round my feet’s turned to ice

I don’t know how long I can skate it

The air has gone out of my lungs

And now I’m a slave to the wind

To legions of death and destruction

To companies of pain and routine

To sitting at home

To feeling alone

To waiting for punch-lines to swing

I’m back at the edge of the cliff

In shadows of shadows that were

I’m trying to trust my intuition

To play it by ear in the dark

For inklings of thought and emotion

For weavings of love and respect

For beautiful sights

For stars in the night

For patience for making things right

So I’ll do what I can to keep going

But I wish I knew what I’d begun

In the meantime I should be preparing

For the burn of the warmth of the sun