Mock

Alice takes my hand
We are running down the street
Following Hatter
Avoiding the seedy waitress who traced our calls
Cracked coffee cups
Darkened bones
Rabbit catches us up
Mocks the hope we were born with
Delete the note
Corrupt the files
Jazz sounds
A game that both grows and disintegrates
Quick like smoke
A fire taking hold
We seek the truth
Liars
Smug memos in hand
Alice takes my hand
We are running down the street.

Scraps

We draw a line
Beautiful scraps in the night
A blow drain
A hazy strike
We climb the hill
Slide down the side
Measure the sticks
A high message in water
We draw a line
Beautiful scraps in the night.

Factory

The train moves past the factory
Blue brickwork and dreams
We are sent on a dusky wild scent
Framed like blocks
Composed like a book
Front cover
Middle
End
Turning pages
Sent on a mission
Her eyes move gently
Her hands clasp the paper
Turning pages
Building dreams
The train moves past the factory
We watch and wait
Hope for a whistle and steam
A presence and hope.

Table

We sing and laugh around the kitchen table
Brothers and sisters in arms
Dare we eat
Say what's on our minds
It's a sly darkness
A beautiful well of fear
We shoot apart
Give cadence to our song
Chart and barter
Count the stars
Just a small distance apart
Shining like a beacon in the night
How did we get here
Flying a shy chance
Marring our skin
It barely matters
As long as we are together
Singing quietly
Embracing the stars.

Vanish

It's like you vanished
Turned invisible she giggles
We are standing under the streetlight
Moths fluttering in the night
Glitter on her face
Chasing dreams
She sings a song
Quickly and quietly
It sends ripples across the pond
Like sinking stones
We are off the bat
Sitting trial
A chill swipes across our backs
We curl up
Shy signals and hints
We file and mine them
Collect them
Inhibit a tough time
It's like you vanished she says
I can't disagree.

Hope

The rats tap out a message
Shredded paper and shadows
We are waving not drowning
Hold the stick
Swirl the text
All the letters a jumble
We place candles in a bowl
Shield the light
Soft peach sky
All is gone
A clean slate
We move slowly
Tap out our message
Soak in the bath
We wish for order and peace
What we get is very different
I hold the rats
Their tiny hearts beat
They are love
Nestled in my hair
A new day
A life of hope.

Lost

We are lost for words
It's so easy to skip and fall
Wrap the shoes in paper
Place them in a box
This is a complicated hunger
Pious and demanding
We wave at the exit
The mouth of the hole
Follow Rabbit down
It's about all we can do to survive
Take the bus
Sing hymns under our breath
Alice adores the sugar
I can't deny her the pleasure
Her skin is oily
Too much time spent underground
We need to lick the sun
Feel the stars on our face
Words trickle in
Like magic
We gobble them up
Hold our swollen bellies and smile
It is good to be back she murmurs.