From the bridge the girl saw how dark
The water was down there somewhere
Mama asked, “Why’s she scribbling poems?
'guess the kid’s out of her mind”
The girl wept for a while and looked back –
The sigh of the city rang wild
How could one feel at home here?
The water was dark, as were the times
And the water was dark –
Mama was dressed in black
And the pastor got to drink coffee, too
And papa was drunk
Of course he was
Someone brought flowers to the entryway
Some leave for the Moon and others for Sweden
Others just have smaller salaries
Papa went to Sweden five years ago
Mama was already unhappy then
I put cardboard over the window
So that it’d be warm somewhere
“Praise the Lord!” They sang on the radio
On Sunday mama passed away, too
And papa went to Sweden
Mama flew to Heaven
And the pastor got to drink his coffee again
And brother was drunk
I saw him cry
The snow made an angel in the entryway