This essay on Blake is good- really good,
the kind of writing that I would like
to be able to write off the top of my head.
And instead I'm thinking smoking is wrong.
When did I ever care when something was wrong?
And I'm thinking I have a heart problem.
I should have applied to at least one grad school;
And I'm thinking I'm one by one chopping
years off my already heart-shortened life.
And I'm thinking I should pay attention,
so I do- and they're discussing porn.
And I'm thinking that I must have missed something good,
but I shouldn't bother listening now-
it isn't as good when you come in
in the middle of a conversation.
And I'm thinking I want to be like
a heroine in a romance novel;
maybe I just want my life to be like that.
Picturesque and smooth, with steamy romance
and me always coming out on top.
And I'm thinking that sometimes I wish that
I could record my life and play it back-
at least all of the most beautiful parts.
Like yesterday, when the sky was heavy
with fog, and I was sitting in my car
down by that ditch in Amanda's driveway.
The Counting Crows were playing really loud,
grey music for a likewise grey day.
And I'm thinking that I like the spelling
of the word "grey" better than the word "gray."
And Steph and Liz were slow dancing next to
the car, and they were all laughing out loud;
And Kate was blowing dying dandelions-
you know, those off-white poofs of cotton fluff?
The ones you wish on? Yeah, she was blowing
those into a cloud aimed at the dancers,
Hundreds of these fragmented wishes stuck
in their hair and clothes and their eyelashes.
They swirled in the air and around the car,
and they were laughing, the music playing;
And I felt like it should be a movie
playing in slow motion-slightly off-focus.
And I know that to you it was stupid,
it was something that happens every day;
but it was beauty--it was a good movie.
And then I was thinking where am I;
in this movie, who writes all of my lines?
And then I was thinking why am I
always the one on the side just watching?
And I'm thinking I want to live beauty,
not just be the one watching it walk by.