through the centuries she climbs
my soft name will never find itself carved into her stone
i’m still learning to clean my plate
brace my fist into a tangle when i’m knocking on your door
o rise around the skaters!
up from the sun-saturated sheets
tumbling through the gates of the sky
5 mile run round the ringing river
tucked in so sweetly and shot through the night
they never knew her, but she’s on her way
through alleys that will marry the weak with the poor and the warless and strong
and i’ll see you around town!
pounding the slabs of cement embedded in the ground
i’m just being silly at the call of the future
i listen to the circles i walk
(i don’t need to walk around in circles)
i know the sounds of their orbit in sparks
she watches over the cut & paste city
rapid ascension suspended and marked
(watching the sidewalks from golden till dark)
This is thoughtful and melancholy, but not morose -- there is hope in its sheer beauty. Her sensitivity as an arranger and producer is as impressive as her songwriting and singing; the whole album has a lovely sense of texture and space. Joe Madden