So There You Go

So There You Go

So there you go, changing your name again,
just when I thought I could listen without thinking
I must look for the measuring cup again. I’ve nearly
grown insane
wondering how to please the sirocco or reclaim
my fame again.

So there I see, flying ghosts over the top of me,
clouds transferring shapes and geometry, while
I scratch out my records, my diary, my poetry,
upon the black mud beneath my feet. The specters
seem more real to me.

So there I wait, smiling like the hungry,
just when I hoped the ship had slowed to turn back
my fortunes upon waves and swells of friendship;
the trade winds bringing the young man’s laugh
back to me.

So there I hear, once more, and again, like before,
at just the moment I imagined a new refrain from
the same singer on or off the stage. Though the
performance is weaker, the words are old and unchanged,
and we excuse the breathy enunciation simply because
they bring those blues and memories
back to me.

So there you go, the name unchanged again,
just when I learned the latest articulation
my tongue crash-lands against my front teeth again. I’ve nearly
grown silent
wondering what rhyme is improper, what theme will regain
my fame again.