Flickering Flame

In the twilight of summer, you shook like a leaf
And blew to the ground in a pile at my feet
I picked you up, we fell into place

On the park bench in silence, we spoke with no words
You held me like water, to placate your thirst
Your lifeboat, your anchor, your perfect mistake

The white coat of winter, you wore like a veil
Thin as a whisper, but sharp as a nail
The wind on the river is calling your name, with a voice so tame
Be my light, my flickering flame

In the bell tower basement, beneath the cold world
The feelings you'd bunched up so gently unfurled
You held me close, I tried to hold on

The next cloudy morning, you woke in my arms
I made you some coffee, you showed me your scars
And I knew, one day, that I'd be your next

The stray light was running, you touched me and said
"As young as I was, I felt older back then"
Two parallel lines on an infinite plane, trying to cross in vain
Be my light, my flickering flame

The cascades are thawing, and flowing again
The ice that was frozen is slowly beginning
To move down the river, as it had to be

There's a lake in the country, where dreams go to die
It's flooding the banks where it once had been dry
The petrified spirits are finally free

No flame is eternal, it just takes a drip
No life is forever, it's all just a blip
The ashes were carried on down to the drain by the callous rain
Say goodnight, my flickering flame