the out of town news

[[ Someone looking at the old local paper online. ]]

The out of town news 

is a website these days.

They don't print the paper now

cause nobody pays.

The out of town news

is half ads and half blogs,

a rewritten press release,

and pictures of dogs.

The out of town news 

used to get here by mail

as clippings in letters 

from mom without fail.

The out of town news

used to get here by phone.

That phone's disconnected

and I'm out here alone.

The out of town news 

is arrests and convictions,

but you always knew those 

nice houses were fictions.

The out of town news 

is a list of obituaries.

Hope someone's still home there

to feed their canaries.

The out of town news 

used to get here by mail

as clippings in letters 

from mom without fail.

The out of town news

used to get here by phone.

That phone's disconnected

and I'm out here alone.

neither here nor there

[[ a song about where we are when we're on the phone ]]

she is so far away

hiding words 

at the end of a corridor

she is balanced on air

reading paint 

at the end of a corridor

if all you think 

is all you hear 

if all you think

is in your ear

where are you now,

woman on telephone?

are you neither here nor there?

she is thinking elsewhere 

giving herself

to a telephone microphone

she is moving her mouth

mouthing words

to a telephone microphone

dispossessed

[[ An ambiguous song about an ambiguous persona imagining a home he (could be she) used to know. Someone else is in the home now. A feeling of dispossession, real or imagined, some sort of revenge planned or fantasized. Fire and smoke imagery, maybe imagining the old chimney smoking, maybe imagining arson, maybe just a crazy phone call, maybe all in his head. The old phone is there for strangeness and to evoke an old time, dialing the number like a secret combination on a safe, with the phone's "cradle" doing double duty for imagery. Senses (taste and smell, fingers, warming, creaking) to introduce an uneasy nearness. And is he thinking of someone else (an invader? just a new owner) in his old home -- or is that "someone" just the persona sneaking back and creepily intruding in (calling on) his old home? It's coming from inside the house! Or not. ]]

smoke will be coiling

over our old home

sparks will be floating

floating on air

someone feels like he belongs now

in our old home

someone tastes the fruit still growing

in our garden

someone smells the flowers planted

by our mother

smoke will be coiling

over our old home

sparks will be floating

floating on air

someone opens creaking cupboards

in our kitchen

someone warms his chilly fingers

round our fire

someone feels like he belongs now

in our old home

now I am calling

dialing the rotary

my combination

into the past

lift the receiver

out of the cradle

lift the receiver

out of the past

fire will be burning

up through the blue air

sparks will be floating

floating on air

intentional love song 12: the breathing

when you call 

I feel the phone

in your hand

I hear the shape 

of the room

where you stand

I hear you breathe

and I know

you are there

how real you are 

even though 

so far so far so far

how real you are 

faith is a hovercraft

floating on its own breath

I think of how 

you are breathing 

other air

I think of how 

you are your own

atmosphere

I hear you breathe

and I know

you are there

how real you are 

even though

so far so far so far

how real you are 

faith is a hovercraft

floating on its own breath

how real you are
even though
faith is a hovercraft
adrift on its own breath

intentional love song 1: other side of the world

where are you

when you're here 

in my hand

glowing back at me?

where you are

do you touch

your fingers 

to my words?

where you are

is your face 

floating bright 

in the dark?

where you are

do you think of

faraway people 

you'll never see?

people in places 

you'll never be?

is one of those people me?

it's midnight here and the sky is black

but the moon is turning the tide

I know you're there with the sun on your skin

how is it there on the other side?

on the other side of the world?

climb the dark stairs

what's this bubbling 

up in my blood?

what's steaming

under the hood?

mother in the garden

fire in the kitchen 

mother in the garden

fire again

put down the pony 

frogs in the basement

neighbors on the party line

frogs in the well

lights in the drive

blue, red, and turning 

mother in the garden

something is burning

under the car at night

holding a torch for father

smell of spilled gasoline

orange of cigarette

smoke up the chimney

the game on teevee

twisting the aerial

pictures of snow

caught in the thunder

running in the rain 

wet camera jolting 

and jolting and jolting 

stories to 

sleep on

the dark and 

the bells

Nancy, Sikes,

Silver, Kim,

shipwrecked and 

kidnapped

and

climb the dark stairs

tempest and midsummer

salt and vinegar

the Russians in winter

alone in the woods

under the car at night

holding a torch for father

smell of spilled gasoline

orange of cigarette

mother in the garden

fire in the kitchen 

mother in the garden

fire again

stories to sleep on

climb the dark stairs