Asters Frown

Hey di da lally
Asters frown and reach the ground
Politicians can't pay their bills
Mowing's done, the grass is dry
Seasons change and old men lie
Hey di da lally
Where did you put my tools
Planting the plum make me a fool
Cool weather is warm again
Blood flows out of wrinkled sacks
Hey di da lally
Leaves come down and then some more
Boxes topped with glass are coming
Charcoal might melt the snow away
In the hospital they look to plug the gaps
Hey di da lally
Thanks be given round about
Pruning fruit trees is almost here
No one knows if the man will die
Or dance away the next day
Hey di da lally

Melancholy

Dancing with a girl named Melancholy
She has a smile on her face
But the sadness never leaves her eyes
She knows every dance from the last hundred years
Every step caries all the pain from each of those years
And she won't stop when her own feet hurt
I ask, but she won't disengage even when
My body burns and burns and burns
'Til nothing is left but an ache in my soul
And my face matches hers, smile for smile
Eye for eye
Still we dance, always touching
But never together

Twelve Soldiers

I'm an old solder who has lost his friends
Tired and alone I sit, refusing to follow
Their path into woe
Each one left in turn, with a faint smile
And a final overwhelming sigh
I'm an old Soldier guarding the banes of his lost friends
Twelve swords that used to be bright and true
Now sitting covered with rust
And cursed by twelve tiered men
Who had no better friend to stay their hands