The Lantern by Marty Willson-piper

In the same destructive way
Your broken bridge lies in the hay
You cannot spell you only lean
Where magic words direct the stream


Underneath this buckled quilt
Flowers old and precious wilt
They take you to a bluster place
And dance around your face


Safer calendars i have seen
But whoever knew what months must mean
I sail the skies and fly through the sea
No miner, cook or fool can die so weakly


Hasty dashed in quicker clothes
What if the fishes eat the loaves
Backward buildings drop to dust
Gutters turn to rust


I stamp my feet and scare the ghost
Welcome that dimension's host
He flickers and snickers into his robe
And skips around the globe


During weeks when i was grey
I posted night to greet the day
I shunned the light for beams of black
No sailor, ship or sea can sink on land


The lantern swings until your arm hurts
And all you did was signal your demise