There is something inexplicable delicious
about having your cigarette lit by a man
Crushed in the doorway
next to the Chinese restaurant
getting out of the wind
your hands around his hands
protecting the flare of a match
in a way you've been doing this all night
across a table
over stir-fried udon and saki
and British accents (yours real, his not)
something about the moment your face flicks back
as the smoke seeps into your mouth
and your eyes meet his eyes
and it's not until later
just after your lips are on his lips
and the world stops moving outside
that you realise you knew it would be like this
from the moment that flame burst open
behind two sets of hands.

Standing at the subway  and I'm late for a date
a first date
and Tiger Blood comes on shuffle
I'm transported to a summer afternoon
after school in Tommy's **** car
(now dead)
and Tiger Blood is on the radio
Sun is streaming through
and the boys are smoking
and it is perfect.
But maybe
the song puts this memory in my eyes
maybe it was raining
why else would we be getting a lift..
And is the smoke disgusting?
I don't think I even liked the song that much when I first heard it.

What’s the name of your game?
I think I want to play,
Against my own rules though.
Not yours.

How long until I win?
Your victories get annoying,
When I’m still stuck in last.
Behind you.

Why is this your idea of fun?
I don’t like this anymore,
I want out of the laughs.
On me.

When will you leave me alone?
This joke runs on too long,
Winning the race of sense.
Past me.

The world starts to make sense
with her hand in yours
you love her
but you are not her mother
and with her tiny steps
you create a woman
both in yourself
and soon in her
She is your entire reality
in this moment
for this is life
one heartbeat at a time

I'm restless
and full of regret
in the way that only a Sunday night allows

Thunder won't move me
I'm a gunner's daughter
but these winds show me how far I've blown from home

Like an eagle
You ride the breeze
A summer warrior
You bring sunshine
And while through winter
You may hide
I wear you on my side
So as never to forget
That you are always there
Waiting around the corner
And that hope
Should never die.