Runaway

Those nights that he
Would call you
With the open road in his voice
Your coffee cup spent of its steam

Insects at the porch light,
Tiny Black Coats from the Bureau
He has taken the keys

And the driveway falls
Like a pair of pale arms
Dived into the river

And you know
If you are still and
Keep inside the light
The satellites will see you
And they'll know

To keep him on the line
To hold him in your hand
While the house behind
Your back is counting rooms

To listen for the sounds
That give away his place
Until the static places him
Just somewhere out beneath the moon

And the driveway falls
Like a pair of pale arms
Dived into the river

And you know
If you are still and
Keep inside the light
The satellites will see you
And they'll know

Those nights that he
Would call you
With a gift of this memory
In his voice
He has taken the keys

And the driveway falls
Like a pair of pale arms
Dived into the river

And you know
If you are still and
Keep inside the light
The satellites will see you
And they'll know

~ Brendan Bonsack

Last Exit

I'm holding my breath
Just to see how it feels
To be all rushing from me
To be cracking the seals

There's some kind of poem
In the laundry machines
Press your ear to these thin hotel walls and
You'll see what I mean

And there's a picture in your fingers
Intersecting with mine
It's a church with no steeple
And all the folk are trapped inside

So, here we are, you beautiful man
Two specks on a map where no places have names
I'll tell you my secret in a room with no sound
When the last exit to morning comes around
When the last exit to morning comes around

I'm counting my toes, road signs brushing my feet
Your laconic repose palmed in a sun-dappled seat
And I'm tracing the steps we may well never make
My body is a stranger that I meet every night
Before you've had time to awake


So, here we are, you beautiful man
Two specks on a map where no places have names
I'll tell you my secret in a room with no sound
When the last exit to morning comes around
When the last exit to morning comes around

There will be a crash, babe
And it will make some noise
But for now, here we lie, babe
Oh so wonderfully poised...


So, here we are, you beautiful man
Two specks on a map where no places have names
I'll tell you my secret in a room with no sound
When the last exit to morning comes around
When the last exit to morning comes around

~ Brendan Bonsack

I Once Knew a Doctor

I once knew a doctor
A doctor of the mind
A fancy gown and mask
Got her fingers in my hive

She said it's lucky that you found me
While you were still alive
I don't ever cure darkness
And I don't ever put it right

Here's my beating heart
Put your ear to the noise
I've never lost a man yet
But every one has tried

She said tell me bout the places
You go as a child
I said but I'm a grown man now
She said, no, you're not trying

And I see you in a bright light
And it's obscured by a flag
I said it's gotta be a red one
I'm just a Taurus to a rag

Here's my beating heart
Put your ear to the noise
I've never lost a man yet
But every one has tried

I once knew a doctor
A doctor of the mind
She said I'll leave you if you love me
But I'd love it you leave me behind

I don't ever cure darkness
And don't you leave it here with me
Every goddamn flower was made of the stuff
Every sacred honey bee

Here's my beating heart
Put your ear to the noise
I've never lost a man yet
But every one has tried

~ Brendan Bonsack

Danny Boy

Oh, Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side.
The summer's gone, and all the roses falling,
It's you, it's you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow,
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow,
It's I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow,
Oh, Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so!

But when ye come, and all the flowers are dying,
If I am dead, as dead I well may be,
You'll come and find the place where I am lying,
And kneel and say an Ave there for me.
And I shall hear, though soft you tread above me,
And all my grave will warmer, sweeter be,
For you will bend and tell me that you love me,
And I shall sleep in peace until you come for me

~ Brendan Bonsack