before you got the call

Drinking your tears
under ominous skies
will always bring you back here
This is where
things make sense
this is where
everything works, every time
The pain will always find you
and bring you back home
Nights move on
days burn by
you are unmoved, unfazed,
unraveled,
waiting for the next miracle
You've taken the phone
off the hook
you've taken your past
and choked it to death
like an unwanted puppy
you will always remember the eyes
and their soundless accusations
the tears
and the quickness with which they came
you will always remember
the last time you went down to the river
the little girl named Amy
the laughing skies under the dam
the shadow you once cast there
and the pointlessness of it all
Before you got the call
before you moved away
before her name
meant anything at all
Those dirt roads were a playground
your stereo was always proud
your eyes were always defiant
and ready
You can't ever go back
those places are still there
but what you're looking for isn't
The sun's still blinding off the water
clarity can be profound
and stirring up these musty memories
won't settle what bothers you.