Lambs

Kyla La Grange

We woke up raw from two hours’ sleep
We blinked like owls and stretched our feet
The face on the wall says “oh you’ve changed-
You’re a million miles from your desperate days”

We kissed so warm that my skin it smiled,
I watched your face through my half-closed eyes
The day was new but the story old
And we already know how the end unfolds
That’s why
We are keeping our heads clear
That is why
We are holding ourselves here

And I’m sorry that I’ve curled into a ball you can’t unroll
That I buried my head behind a red brick wall
But led like a lamb you’d have died in my hands
That’s why I know you’ll understand

I saw myself in the way you paused
The way that we laugh when we are not sure
We’ve pressed our lips to another’s cheek
But it makes no difference and it brings no tears

And I often think that we are not made
To be neatly positioned in each other’s way
And I won’t join those who do not wait
For they commit their love to an early grace
That’s why
There’s no weeping in my eyes
That is why
We will taste the coming years

And I’m sorry that I’ve curled into a ball you can’t unroll
That I buried my head behind a red brick wall
But led like a lamb you’d have died in my hands
That’s why I know you’ll understand

And I’m sorry that I’ve curled into a ball you can’t unroll
That I buried my head behind a red brick wall
But led like a lamb you’d have died in my hands
That’s why I know you’ll understand