my real mother

tonight i walked straight into the arms of my mother.

she held me tight against her

"i heard you crying," she said, and i nodded, my face pressed into her neck

"i waited for you to come to me."

on the way there

the harvest moon waited and i watched out the car window

listened to stories of grief

humbled by these women who have seen many more days and nights

especially nights

i saw the ghost of "jenny", heard a mother's sorrow

thought about my own

i bit my nails, knowing what was coming

i made my way through a labyrinth to find her

i made my way through a garden to find her

i made my way through my mind to find her

tonight i walked straight into the arms of my mother.

she held me tight against her

"i heard you crying," she said, and i nodded, my face pressed into her neck

"i waited for you to come to me."

voices from the carnival

In the beginning

**

A man on stilts walks by, laughing maniacally.  An obviously drunken clown follows,  playing some sort of musical instrument.

"That about sums it up," my friend says, and I nod.

**

In the end

**

A woman walks by, dressed in crappy stuffed animals and almost nothing else, face askew.  Her navel glints like a diamond in the middle of the Void

I am falling

Leather Face:

(His eyes are changing, he has forgotten what he was taught to say so many years ago)

In this climate of absolute despair

Despair is absolute

Hold onto this

She: Walks on by

They: Walk on by

Everyone walks on by

Me and Leatherface look at each other and smile

THIS IS IT

Two kids are pushing an old lady in a wheelchair.  Their black hair shines in the sun and they stop and watch the game.

"Wanna play?" I ask, and they shake their heads in unison.

"Got no money."

And I want to pull it all down

pull it all down

walk away

the sun