Adrianne Lenker Real House
Do you remember running?
The clarity of the air around
Braiding low branches into a crown
That love is all I want
I'm a child humming
Into the purity of the black space
Where stars shine like tears on the night's face
In a cool wind
Mama, what happened?
Can't believe it's been so long
Now 31 and I don't feel strong
And your love is all I want
When I was 7
I saw the first film that made me scared
And I thought of this whole world ending
I thought of dying unprepared
We moved into a real house
A wild field behind it
I wanted to be an inventor
Collected scraps to make a portal
I wanted so much for magic to be real
So many dreams of flying
Rising high over a crowd
And they go “oh man, look at her go”
When I go
Do you remember
Coming to the hospital when I was 14?
My friends all left me there spinning
Dad was angry and you saw everything
And you made me laugh as the nurses undressed me
You held my hand as they put the needle in me
I never saw you cry
Not until our dog died
And our whole family came back together
When you held her body as they put the needle in her
And then I saw you cry
And then I saw you cry
I moved into a real house