A Bird Flies Out - Deb Talan

A bird flies out and over the rooftops

Down past the cars in my line of view

It’s a strange beginning, comic and awkward grace

In a picture, on the table

I’m in a red dress waiting for a reason

Holding a tightly packed suitcase

Maybe I’m too jaded to love somebody like you

Maybe I want to love my dream that’ll never come true

Someone who is real, oh, gets in the way

And moves inside my heart, not just my head

Interfering with how I want to feel

How do I want to feel, I wonder?

You could be water to me, I could be wine

The stars have all faded here

They give us no sign

Is this the right time?

The smoke curls up and ribbons the air

Away from my nervous fingers

The cigarette sputters, a tired reluctant burn

In a picture, on the table

You are a driver peering past the moment

Holding the wheel until it turns

Maybe I’m too jaded to love somebody like you