The Champagne Talking (or The Man Who Had Nothing Better To Do But Write What Was On His Mind)

Courage is no match for an unfriendly shoe
and some cans were never meant to be opened
and when the new year teases in
a cork will break off inside a bottle
and a heart will break
and some champagne somewhere will drink itself

because it wants to know what it’s like

to be human - to celebrate both happiness and sadness all in one night

to get nostalgic about a book it read as a younger bottle of champagne - but it can’t

TWINKLE TWINKLE

 little oddly shaped toes
that ring in the new year; shimmering all the way
it’s a new year and I made you a promise
do you remember what it was?
you made me swear not to breathe if you weren’t around..
“and I can tell if you’re breathing through your nose” you threatened
 but holding your breath for love is no underwater kiss
it’s a long way from here to there!
and you know it gets cold some nights
when the frozen teeth on the side of the house eavesdrop - oh they do
and the mucky maple trees only give us bitter syrup
a porch light stutters on

where have you been?
you’re not telling?
that’s ok! It’s a new year! So that means I’m a new person
a person who is a man now

a man who grows a moustache, maybe
maybe an animal - a polar bear

with all the cola
yes, all the cola
and we can roll down this mountain
like an old Bangles poster rolling off a wall
hiding a cockroach - too proud to crawl
and if you really were a bear - doesn’t matter what kind - you’d still be a good hugger - I’d make you promise something to me though
that you’ll never make me hold my breath for you again
I’m so blue
my face is swollen
and I think I lost a tooth
from all that cola
but it’s a new year now
and I have work tomorrow