Night Shutters

Go ahead and lay myself down

Take your hand in mine

Small as a bird’s heart

Big as the world 

I'm not afraid of the darkness 

Or of the sounds I could not describe 

But I'm afraid of the heat of your skin

And things that you don't know about that wash across your dreams

And I'm afraid of the hurtling metal that’s barreling across the flesh of the earth 

So I lay myself down 

At your wavering 

Unsteady

Sleeping

Strong Land

Just learning to stand 

Steady

In the dark

You'll understand your dreamin 

Your twitching hand wrapped up in mine

In the dark

Reach out pull the rope

Like pulling yourself outta rough waters onto safe ground

So you see my young Strong Land it’s just the waking moon casting silver behind the shutters

Leaving paths for the owls and the wolves

We'll wait for them here it’s your time to rest

I'll keep track of your breathing 

So none can steal it from you 

I lay myself down until you are ready to stand on your own

Even the kings of trees and beasts waver from time to time

Drawn by the shadows to themselves and to Strong Land

Within them I have your hand in mine and wait for your fever to go running away like history passed 

Until it's just you standing steady unafraid of the dark