On The Coat Tails Of Three Restless Nights Poem by Kaitlin Van Zile

and it’s funny
the way your name curls between my ears
snaking like cigarette smoke
finding itself tangled in dirty thoughts
and lines of music.
finding itself tangled in my name.
tangled in this lions mane
lost in these curls
lost in my thoughts
there it is again
it’s youmeyoumeyoumeus
keeping these thoughts
rushing, harmonizing
with listless lullabies
heavy lidded brown eyes
she told me to hold with both hands
that baby bird, he was precious cargo
he was supposed to sing me to sleep
nevermind that he fell from grace,
shoved out of the nest too soon.
nevermind that heaven didn’t want him
and nevermind that he never quite managed
to keep his voice from shaking
and piercing these half gone eardrums
first it bleeds and then it scabs
and i’ve been yearning for this
with my fists full of sand
you can only hold on for so long
my dear
you can only hold on for so long