The revelation hit me hard once, as I lay in the grass looking up at the sky, that I was in reality looking out at the sky – much as a magnet stuck on the fridge is looking out at your kitchen – and I swear to you I became dizzy with the thought of suddenly catapulting out into space if gravity decided to unexpectedly give up the ghost. And who’s to say it won’t one day? You can’t take these things for granted, you know.

Anyway, it was autumn and one of the best things about that as a kid was playing in the piles of leaves on the edges of suburban lawns, the sweet smell of Fall all around. When the air’s just right, you can see the angels sparkling in front of you like tiny white fireflies. Oh you’ll blink your eyes thinking it’s a trick of the light, but they’re there all right – dancing and winging about elusively and challenging your ability to hold them in your site, taking the pleasure with the pa-pa-pa-pain.

This entry’s MP3 is a late-night recording about all that done on the old iMac. I’m hoping soon to re-record it for better sound and performance.

FALLING (EVEN THE ANGELS)

We took a blanket and laid it down
Smoothed out the grass beneath like icing
Untied our shoes and then
Tied up our arms
Stuck to the side of the world
We looked out to the sky around

And there were angels dancing
But we didn’t know what they were
So we laughed until they ran

It’s like I told you:
There’s pain in humility
and even the angels will tell you

We had a magnolia in Cloverdale
The street smelled like autumn for so long
Into the leaves we fall
Into the leaves
Over and under again never thinking
Of falling out

And then the angels brightened
Just like they were lightening bugs
So we tried to touch their hands

It’s like they told us:
There’s much to be sorry for
and even the angels will tell you