The greatest of the artists could in essence be proclaimed: A menace to society, neurotic and deranged But I was swift to learn their gift, and beat a different drum And now I find within my mind a menace I’ve become

In shrouded skies I caught your eyes and begged the fog to part The clouds were wise and in your guise a message they’d impart: “A tongue as sharp, a pen as worn, in all the world I’ve been Could hardly dare to cut, ensnare, or wear my temper thin!”

And was it decided That day on the shore Or am I misguided To hold out for more?

We sparkle through the wasted hours, we strive for greater goals We play on through the aftermath, get shot up full of holes In dealings, in prosperity, it’s well enough foretold We pull a fist of river silt and find it full of gold

Tomorrow embezzles Mistakes of today Though we are disheveled, Our future can pay

Unclutter your porch, dear I’ll sleep by the door The daylight will scorch here The skies they will pour

And the tension’s receding On the courses we’re leading And the truths you reveal Are the answers I’m needing

So I ask myself pleading If the spark we’ve been feeding Is a shot in the dark Through the forces competing

Now I find myself lost In the gardens we’re seeding Under winter’s grey sky Where I found my soul bleeding