Keep It Even
THERE'S A DRAWER IN MY HOUSE THAT I TRY
TO KEEP CLOSED BUT IT'S OPEN. THERE'S
A COMMITMENT THAT I MADE TO BE
SOMEWHERE BUT IT'S BROKEN. AN OBLIQUE
MANTRA IN MY HEAD IT LIES THERE ON
THE FLOOR LIKE A BED THAT WOULD
COLLAPSE LIKE A TRAP, IF IT WAS SPOKEN
YOU GOTTA KEEP IT EVEN, EVEN WHEN
YOU'RE UPTIGHT
EVEN WHEN YOU'RE HAPPY
EVEN WHEN YOU'RE REACHING FOR SOME
LINE I'VE HAD IN MIND, IT'S BEEN RE-
PRESSED OVER TIME, SO I'M BREATHING
SEDUCED BY AN EXCUSE THAT COULD
NOT BE MADE BUT I'M SPEAKING
THERE'S A PHONE WITH A NUMBER THAT
I TRY NOT TO CALL BUT IT'S RINGING
FOR SOMEONE I'VE TRIED TO KEEP TO
MYSELF BUT I'M SINGING. IT'S LOGIC
THAT'S TWISTED AND PARAPHRASED AND
JUSTIFIED BY A DISTANCE THAT SEPARATES
A BOND, BOUND OF PERSISTENCE
YOU GOTTA KEEP IT EVEN, EVEN WHEN
YOU'RE UPTIGHT
EVEN WHEN YOU'RE HAPPY
EVEN WHEN YOU'RE REACHING FOR
THAT DRAWER IN MY HOUSE THAT I TRY
TO KEEP CLOSED BUT ITS OPEN