"NOW THE STARS ARE NAILED TO AN EMPTY SKY
THE MOON IS PINNED LIKE A BUTTERFLY
AND I’M AFRAID TO SHINE TOO BRIGHT
SINCE THE DAY THEY TOOK HIS LIFE

SO MOTHERS, TEACH YOUR CHILDREN THIS
DON’T OVERREACH, DON’T RUN THE RISK
HIDE IN THE SHADOWS, DON’T EXPECT
YOUR GOOD HEART TO SAVE YOUR NECK"

-Mathew

"IT'D MAKE A MAN OF ANY MAN WHO'S OLD ENOUGH TO CRY
SURELY MAKE A LOSER FEEL AT HOME
BLESSINGS ON THE CHILDREN OF THE CITY WHEN THEY DIE
ONE MORE OVERPOPULATION GONE

YOU CANNOT WALK THE STREETS NO MORE,
OR LIVE IN TOWN
I ALWAYS THOUGHT THERE’D BE SOMEWHERE TO CRAWL
WHEN THE SKY FELL DOWN
I’M WATCHING MY HORIZON EXPLODING
LIKE A SPRING TOO TIGHTLY WOUND
SILENCE IS THE ONLY SOUND”

- Roses for the Damned

I remember being stopped in my tracks the first time I heard “I always thought there’d be somewhere to crawl when the sky fell down“, like a hammer blow to my chest. It was in high school, preparing to leave for college. I laughed with bitter tears. Six years later, those words still have the same effect.

She’s a hell of a writer.

“Grinning lies and a bubbling laugh,
a gleeful villain of some repute,
easy footsteps still on the Paris path,
now stretching out to That Institute,

Your walk is ever a joyous gait,
on steps worn smooth by many feet,
but leave these gentle things of little weight,
and look you now upon a world to greet

A thousand lands are beauties all,
each one amongst a crowd,
where the strangest sights are the most wonderful,
and mysteries unfold in a cloud.

These myriad things you have not seen,
they call to you on bended knee
with waters blue and hills of green,
with desert, story, and wounded tree.

From the window of a plane,
all the world is a canvas,
every dot a story, every line a name,
only among strangers is your true self carved in stone.”

(my gift was a universal power adapter for travel to Europe, Australia, etc.)

–And here’s one about me from a mystery coworker (odds are good on it being Jeanette), which I thought was rather sweet.

“To Andrew, who’s web work is highly fastidious
but in person is funny and generous
Who’s a gent and nerd
Who loves order but ‘flirts’
With traditions, eccentrics and the frankly hideous

To Andrew who doodles quite endless
Who will sketch the most serious and senseless
Who is quick to defend
With a doughnut in hand
The obscure, the insane and the stupendous

To Andrew who can’t help it - a feat
And for observer’s eyes quite a treat
Be it doughtnut or wrap
Be it wings or just crap,
with a knife and a fork he must eat.

To Andrew who likes to be right
Who’s dress-sense is fifties and tight
This gift from St.Tim
You may wish it at whim
You can fill it and keep by your side.”

(the gift was a Tim Hortons doughnut on a fork, a dinosaur pen, and one of their Big-Ass Tim Mugs.)