A soul in uniform is all I had been Since the passing of that glow against the wall That had grown from you. But still I feel the same, Though I've lost a bit of weight from all those dressings that I shed I thought they'd sworn to stay in place. But I've kept a steady peace between my days, Though they're stretching out like flames in a restless rage And the fleeting, selfish thoughts that drew us gray Are cradling the coals. What could i do? You'd left your straining heart in a mud-brick mausoleum You were grateful for the sight, But couldn't keep it in your mind But I steered my way through all that stilted speech, A thicket patch of verbs and spines and seeds That fell into a beard of knotted leaves, Virescent on my jaw What can i do? The second that you fled yourself I knew I was someone else Staring at that flame you'd lit, A Calvary between your ribs Now with all that fever gone, We're sleeping with our long sleeves on And hoping for a healthy dawn To place our aching heads upon. That masonry you'd lain, It was not enough to keep you from your pain.