deepundergroundpoetry.com
Funny to Me
lyrics from “The Shadow of Your Smile” from the 1965 film The Sandpiper
I guess it just seemed funny to me
when I huddled in the corner I was
too many different ages to remember
too many voices to remember
and one would sing out above the others
what will this do to the rest of my life
all I know is I met a boy
at the grocery a week ago
I am burying him today
along with all the other bodies and dreams
in my soul’s graveyard
because it is always like this
a child of six in a forty year-old woman
and little boys can sense it in little girls
(my little hands grabbing at their shirt buttons)
and it’s only human nature
to flee the needy
and leave
them
alone
how I wish I could describe it to them
how fiercely I need to
so much music inside me
soft rage of yearning
broken dishes
constant burning behind my eyes
my daddy’s velvet voice as he strummed the guitar
The shadow of your smile /
When you are gone /
Will color all my dreams /
And light the dawn /
and I say to all the boys
oh love me like my daddy didn’t
please be my daddy
please hold me
pay attention to me
fill this emptiness that defines me
that can never be filled again
because daddy
the day you left
all the days you left
something was erased
something grew transparent
and every boy has inside him your ghost
but there is no way to cross the river
between the living and the dead anymore
even the ferryman looks like
your fragile, precious bones
and I hear the crooning of those words forever
Now when I remember spring /
All the joy that love can bring /
I will be remembering /
The shadow of your smile /
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdtcItLjPPU
All writing remains the property of the author. Don't use it for any purpose without their permission.
likes 4
reading list entries 0
comments 4
reads 689
Commenting Preference:
The author is looking for friendly feedback.