This entire piece was written in the amount of time it takes to listen to Neutral Milk Hotel's "In an Aeroplane Over the Sea." It is a response.

1.
I stood on the porch,
watching her skirt sway the way mine did,
our similar skirts,
and it made me glad to watch her secretly.
I thought I shouldn�t interrupt,
watching the flowers and the wind
ripple through them,
an ocean of green instead of blue,
bowing their heads to that which had the power to destroy.

I couldn�t stand serenely
watching her scene,
I could only stand only stand
watching her,
watching the scene.

2.
A sewer rat rises up like a flower
in a Tchaikovsky ballet.
Swaying back and forth,
drunk on power
and the smell of sewage.
And suddenly a garbage pail rolls down the street
and a sound is heard,
an ambulance in the distance
and the world spins and contracts...
JESUS CHRIST!

A sewer rat is surfing
better than a beach boy
down the 5th avenue main sewage route
on the back of a cardboard support,
and it rides like it was born to,
real.

Real, wearing neon sunglasses,
squeaking in squeaky mouse language
�Look Ma! No hands!�
until he falls and drowns.

3.
Clear blue eyes sailing across the sea they stare after
cause me to smile at the pretty face they accompany.
Come now,

come here,
you�re mine,
you�re for me,
I promise that I will hold you dear.

When you suggested this I couldn�t believe
the majestic journey we found
wind and blue,
in such a land,
such a brown, chocolate
disgusting smeared landscape.

It has turned into a beautiful evening,
staring at the chinese paper lamps
in your eyes.
I can hear little whinings in my mind,
i choose to ignore them simply for the purpose of pressing
closer
closer
closer
don�t ever let me go,
please don�t let me go.

I wish i could remember every single word you said to me
on a sailboat
or in that sotto voce
with a smile on your mouth
more formal than a tuxedo.
we need no formalities dear.
Only promise.

4.

Now I�m wondering if I should�ve left you alone
when you told me the first time,
running down the street feeling as naked as I was
moments ago,
I wish I knew how to read minds.

I could crawl into your hair,
twist it and roll the way
i would when i was young,
and swirl it until it shone
like the sunshine that loves to touch it gently.
I am sorry that i can grow so entangled in it,
don�t wash me out
i won�t be shut out that easily
and i am machine washable.

the way you look at me sometimes,
i could swear i know what you are thinking,
and then you say a word
that is exactly what i was sure you weren�t thinking
and i feel suddenly lost again;
a goldfish with a need
a cause to hide in a pretty little castle.

please come join me in this castle.
i�m sorry i was afraid of the cold,
i shall try to use your hair as a golden rope,
swinging down and climbing off of you.
sweet, sweet, sweet face
i have to pass on the way down.

5.
Enter gypsies,
tumbling and fumbling
from 5 and 11 o clock.
wahey,
spin spin around and let me know
if there is any sort of refreshment i can offer,
some wine,
some rum
some whiskey sours?

don�t move on
on account of my disrespect.
don�t take it like that
it�s not disrespect.
i respect you in the highest regard.
your work is brilliant.

here i am falling all over myself,
but i am no contortionist,
and we all can recognize that.

6.
Heel, toe, heel, toe,
one, two, one, two, ready, go--
back and forth we go,
dancing some sort of demented tango,
acting as personal fools
for our own amusement.
painted cheeks and bright coloured clothes,
we could simply fall and roll,
every ghost watching us would absolutely adore the sight
of these two children
fighting over a piece of life,
a glass eye,
rolling and gliding across the floor
whilst we play marbles.
I�m sure uncle morty misses it,
but what do we care?
two kids in love,
what does uncle morty equal in our equation?

inventions we have made,
such as this tango,
(beautiful, functional)
are of utmost importance.
i think we should take a dance break together now.

7.
Here comes a sobering wind,
winedrunken glee wore off long ago
and we are forced to sit here and contemplate
in complete silence.

The Himalayas lie between us,
walls so high even god couldn�t cross them,
My eyes drift towards the contours of your face,
the slights of your body,
but i must turn away.

8.
Meandering outside a train
and people are flying by
because i am so fast that the world has ceased,
or I have ceased to be.
They can see me,
right as they pass i can feel their eyes,
they hear my swan songs,
but they can�t see the black shadows
chasing them in their cars,
the trails of fears,
the secrets i can feel embedded in their stare.

Envy surrounds their aura,
there is peace somewhere
perhaps in this broken down telephone booth of a girl,
and they want to kiss her cheek,
find out if what i am whispering into their hair
is as true as the sunshine�s false manifestation in moonlight.

You stood away,
across the bridge.
I stared for a long time.
Nobody won.
We simply stared,
backing up
until we disappeared into the horizon.

I still see you though,
your children running towards me
as they always do...
Keep them away,
they come after me with shovels
and playground weapons
and as i shield my eyes,
they slice into the air
and disappear.

They exist. I know them.
I know them very well.

I don�t remember
how I managed to remember this entire story,
but it flows more freely through me than the blood that's inside me,
and it sings to be told.
I really must have lost my mind that sunny day in august
when they took me to the train
and left me alone.

9.
�Triumph,� some young soldier shouts,
running out of a dugout,
he is a dodger,
but he has just received a phonecall,
and it is the most beautiful word he can scream.

The word ignites the rest of the people within earshot to scream,
cheer,
and express the triumph vocally.

We succeed and the rest of the world shall succeed!
(except those countries whom we defeat)
but eventually we will help them reform,
put them in a world jail,
or a position of discomfort.

You shouldn�t want to sail through the air,
not as earnestly as you pursue the dream.
Growing those beautiful silver wings
may have helped you to realize your potential,
but they will never work
until you can take your eyes
off the people and things so far below.
Triumph will never be with those who look down.
Never.

10.
We threw a tickertape parade for the yankees,
belittling the accomplishments of mr. chuck l.
who flew the planes
and that mr. neil a. who flew the rockets
and danced the waltz on the moon.

I could cry on an irish shoulder,
if i weren�t so damned english.
we�re all one happy family now.
One big happy family...

11.
When I was walking home,
a bus came and hit me in the street.
I bled for a while
and then the paramedics came.

When i saw your smiling face,
she was above me,
smiling down
from the fluorescent light bulbs.
you kissed my forehead
and my smiles were expanded
into angel wings
and i felt us lift up,
up and away.

We flew to yesterday
and i stood up
and we smiled and rewound our lives and suddenly
it was a beautiful movie,
like a 30s picture,
shirley temple smiling and all.

i will never have those bouncing curls,
but your fingers tangle just fine on their own,
and your smiling mouth
and clear mediterranean eyes
and himalayan chest and
a treasure map on your stomach.

This brand on your cheek is me.
I am branded across your chest.
We lived happily ever after,
i told you we did.
Come back to my castle,
i shall not snap at you,
I love to watch your eyelids flutter.

Smile once more.
It will all go away when you smile.