The Sunday Song: After the Flood

Once upon a time I wrote a guitar instrumental called “After the Flood.” It became the title track on my CD. It sounds like this:

Then I mistakenly wrote lyrics to go on top of it. It’s not that the lyrics were bad; they just didn’t need to exist.

They’re in the liner notes on the CD now, but I figured, why not post ’em as the Sunday Poem? So here they are.

After the Flood

We sat on the porch, she and I
The waters ran a foot beneath our feet
It was dark and the flood had dancing lights
And our town was under three feet deep

She said, “So I’m thinking of leaving town”
And I felt like I had fallen in
So I just looked down
And then back up when I had mustered a grin

There’s flotsam bobbing in the water
Lives carried down to the sea
After our smaller parts have gone away
We’re left with heart and bone and blood
After the flood, after the flood

“I guess I’ve been listening to too much Ani and Dar”
She said swinging her feet, eyes seeing far
“The town’s too small and & my job’s gone now
And even my flowerbed drowned.”

I said “If times had been different–
if you hadn’t been with him–”
And I lay my hand on hers for a moment
As if it had been a whim

There’s flotsam bobbing in the water
Lives carried down to the sea
After our smaller parts have gone away
We’re left with heart and bone and blood
After the flood, after the flood

Her mouth made an O and a funny little sound
“I wish you’d told me then–
I would have–you love this place…
but I’m still leaving, and…”

I shook my head, smiled, said
Look, the water’s going down
And our home was revealed again
Mementos scattered on the lawn

There’s flotsam bobbing in the water
Lives carried down to the sea
After our smaller parts have gone away
We’re left with heart and bone and blood
After the flood, after the flood

We swung on the porch and watched our lives
Discover themselves when the dawn came
We were dry as we kissed our goodbyes
And the flood took away the blame