The Calder Quartet

We were born without time,
Nameless in the arms,
Of a mother, a father and God.

When the world would wait for us,
A thousand years in the crush,
Of our eyes, fearless and awed.

Quietly we'd fade into sleep,
With nothing on our minds.

Then we longed to be loved,
In the rush we'd become,
Some things we thought we'd never be.

We were surprised by how hard,
Left wary and scarred,
From the nights spent feeling incomplete.

And all those evenings swearing at the sky,
Wishing for more time.
All the promises we broke when we tried,
Were just wasting all our time.

We grow old all at once,
And it comes like a punch
In the gut, in the back, in the face.

When it seems someone's lied,
And our parents have died,
And we hold onto each other in their place.

And I feel the water rising around us.
Maybe that's OK.
Yeah, I feel the world changing all at once.
I guess it'll be OK.

And we all had one hope there was someone looking down,
To return our bodies to each other and the ground.

I can only say these things to you while you’re sleeping. I hear the hum from the wires,
the sounds of the morning creeping. I lie awake and pretend you can hear me.

You tell me that you’re scared that you’re turning into your mother. I feel myself turning into my
father. We could lie to each other like they do and say we’re so happy. It’s easy when you’re
young and you still want it so badly.

I turn over again and I feel my heart beating faster
And I stare out the window and I think that I might scream

I can tell you that you’re all I’ve ever wanted, Dear. I can utter every word you’ve ever hoped
to hear. I shudder when I think that I might not be here forever, forever, forever.

And the time we were alone at the station
And you were so quiet like a child and you told me you want to be taken
I never thought you’d be the kind of girl who would do that
And you suddenly seem like some faceless thing in my grasp
I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t find it exciting
Your eyes all wet and your face so warm and inviting

I can tell that you’re all I’ve ever wanted, Dear. I can utter every word you’ve ever hoped to hear.
I shudder when I think I might not be here forever, forever, forever.

I’d tell you that I’d always love you like the virgin bride you were that night
But I’d be lying
Love is defying

And all I can think is that it must be a kind of rebellion -- to arm your fears like soldiers and slay them.

I can tell you that you’re all I ever wanted, Dear, through the dim of your breathing while you’re
sleeping here, you wake and you ask me if I’m going to be here forever, forever, forever. Your face so twisted and
your eyes alight, I want to tell you I can save you when you cry at night, but I'll be lying.

Love is defying.

Won't you stop crying?