A bird showed up on my porch today
Feet planted, standing quite still.
Body trembling, unable to fly
Its head turning slowly when I tiptoed by
And its eyes ranged over the hills
Hush little baby, don’t say a word
There on our porch, a dying bird
She’s so very sad
Feeling like she never flew
There was a girl, she wrote a song
The song was good, the girl is gone.
But trust me, darling, flying’s what all birds do
Through the darkness of the night
Heading for the dawn
Letting go of all you know
Going, going, gone.
Photo of a little girl
Crazy giggling, smiling eyes
Where she’s gone, I try to understand
The alchemy of time erased
All the laughter from that face
There’s no music left in those gnarled and twisted hands
Journey through the black of night
Been traveling for so long
Finally see a glimpse of light
Going, going, gone.
And who can mark the moment when
That impish grin starts wearing thin,
Until the mirror can’t sustain the lies.
All the colors fade with time,
All the words fall out of rhyme
The truth unmasked: everybody dies.
Life makes you a fool
When you let money rule
You get lost, bit by bit, day by day.
Are you able to love, are you a true friend?
The things you truly possess in the end
Are the gifts you’ve given away.
The failures, the hurts, mistakes you made -
All gone- they’ll trouble you no more.
You’re safe, you’re loved
And I’m sitting right here
And though you are dying
You have nothing to fear…
You have nothing to fear.
The coming grief, I can’t explain.
Sickening love, a loving pain
Welling up, a heart that wants to cry
Hush little baby don’t you say a word
There on the porch, a dying bird
Listen as she sings the world goodbye.
Through the darkness of the night
Heading for the dawn
Safe and loved and unafraid
Almost home, got it made
Going, going, gone.
Going, going, gone.
© Peter Melnick 2015