Distant Stations
i found an old rug
in the dry dirt outside
the door of my hotel room
it was a triangle with soft rounded edges
and a split down the middle of one corner
it was darker than english moss
green like the soft frills of a peacock's plum
i waited for you
but i never told you where i was
it was you who taught me how
to write these kind of equations
i waited on the steps for you
and i hid in the bushes
whenever a car pulled into the parking lot
you taught me how to listen to these
distant stations
distant stations
i saw the sky break
i threw a rock at a crow
who was playing in the mulch
of the rose bushes by the motel office
missed him by a good yard
or two
i sang old songs from nowhere
los angles
albuquerque
said a small prayer for the poor
and the naked and the hungry
and i prayed real hard for you
i waited for you
but i never told you where i was
it was you who taught me how
to write these kind of equations
i waited on the steps for you
and i hid in the bushes
whenever a car pulled into the parking lot
you taught me how to listen to these
distant stations
distant stations