talking about roses and the time we spend all tied up to our luke warm homes knock on the door and all i hear is chatter about how i'll end up alone i've written you in blackest ink i've written you sweetly by morning light i've sent these pages on their way we're bigger than all these little men combined there's four of us up here it's me, quill, ink, and paper and the four of us will not betray no money will shake us i'm going to lie down in this snail house and i'm gonna change the locks i will let time change my face and time will change itself tick tock. tick tock. and the only blood i'll draw in this war are papercuts, papercuts, papercuts father says it's not not his fault father says he was not in charge i got this broken brain, i've been calling it names but look, mother, it's gotten me this far the only blood i'll draw in this war are Papercuts, papercuts, papercuts

i stand on the tower's high balcony the shrieking starling streaks by and like a maenad i let the storm rumple and tear at my hair oh my wild comrade and crazy boy i long to embrace you and match my strength against yours, two steps from the edge and wrestle with you to the death and as i look down at the beach, the waves are like hunting dogs at play foaming and bellowing they rave and up leaps the glistening spray how gladly i'd jump to be among that raging pack of hounds and follow through the coral woods the walrus with merry sound (wär ich ein jäger auf freier flur ein stück nur von einem soldaten wär ich ein mann, doch mindest nur so möge der himmel mir raten) and further i see a pennant blow bold as a battle banner and the prow of the ship goes up and down as i watch from my airy rampart oh i want to stand in that fighting ship and grasp the steering wheel and over the spitting, hissing deep glide as the seagull will if i were a hunter out in the wild if i were a bit of a soldier if i were at least and simply a man then heaven would council and hold me but now i must sit like a good little girl sweet, delicate and fair and i have to hide to let the wind blow freely through my hair (wär ich ein jäger auf freier flur ein stück nur von einem soldaten wär ich ein mann, doch mindest nur so möge der himmel mir raten)

fesseln will man uns am eignen herde unsre sehnsucht nennt man wahn und traum und das herz, das kleine stückchen erde hat doch für die ganze schöpfung raum

wait until the longing is over hold me for all this is worth out by the pond, by the water the crystals cover this curse i spent this life awake and thinking i spent this night awake, fighting time i reckon life is a boulder break it tomorrow, a girl sure don't mind don't talk over me don't talk over me don't talk over me i'll take myself home scrape my days dry like parchment make me spread myself thin what good is breathing if i cannot breathe like a storm, dear friend? i spent a century just thinking i spent a decade sick and cursed my gravestone will weigh a ton it will fall right through the earth it will fall right through the earth it will fall right through the earth it will fall right through the earth don't talk over me don't talk over me don't talk over me i'll take myself home

we are witnesses to wildly moving times experiences strong and not easily torn apart what is happening here and now in front of us, and what is to follow is a time, are times, our times in which we operate stop standing here so outrageously empty move, move you are not a tree you are not an herb garden i am moving, we will move (now) we will be a movement i am moving, we will move (now) we will be a movement we are trumpet, tuba, tenor bass bass baby soprano, organ, heavy munition we are verse, bridge, and chorus verse, bridge, and chorus verse, bridge, and chorus we're all of it. don't be a retreat don't be a concern don't be a reserve don't be a backup keep your eyes open OK: verse, main verse, main demands: we demand the vital humanity of any human in particular of any human who writes in particular in this upside down world we make our home a world unsuitable for humanity in these dark times, in this dark world (or both) everyone cares only about their own: their own personal, private freedom their own individual interests their retreat their ignorance in this dark, steaming hot world where humanity has become politically irrelevant we demand again and again verse, main verse, main demands: WE DARE YOU (truth or dare? both! always!) truth or dare is always a REQUEST a demand, a wish, much more: a desire we dare you to our 3 standards our minimum standards: the bottom, the base, the heartbeat the bottom, the base, the heartbeat the bottom, the base, the heartbeat the bottom, the base, the heartbeat and we write and we say: HERZ HERDE ERDE HEART HERD EARTH