Well, my mother
has a statuette of Joseph
sitting on a shelf
in our kitchen, she says that he
protects our family and watches us
with everything we do
but he doesn't know
about the books
she's been having to read
so she can learn how to deal with
her troubled teenager
and he doesn't have a clue
about what I've been doing upstairs in the bathroom
And down
at the beach
with all of
the fuck-ups
where we're always dancing
all night and all year round until (mummble)
water from the bay freezes up
in the sand
and then we pass out
on picnic tables
and we stare into the sky
and we see blackness
we see nothing
we see ourselves
we see nothing
we see ourselves
we see nothing
we see ourselves
we see nothing
we see ourselves
we see nothing
in ourselves
and old lover
I'm sorry to say
that I've forgotten your name
but do you remember the day you said these words
it's okay to be nothing
as long as you know it
we were slow dancing in my kitchen to purple heron
our socks were gliding on the hardwood floor
my eyes were staring down at them
as your words fell to my ears
from your mouth
it's okay to be nothing
as long as you know it
it's okay to be nothing
as long as you know it
well I'm not sure if I believe in you
but it's all that I have to live by
so I'm writing a note to my mother
and slipping it between the pages of one of those books
that I made her buy
I'm going to say that I'll try to be alright