I loved you when you still had a child's face

I loved you when you had a child

Sliced the apple when I shut the suitcase

And moved into the seven year hotel

Where I watched you build a fire escape

And parachute into the lawn below

But you walked back up the iron staircase

To carve another notch into the bench of the piano

Then an artist came calling to capture your likeness

And he placed you on a sun-soaked pedestal

But your hair was so black it drained his palette

Leaving his brushes nothing for your frozen smile

Tell me why you're so bitter woman

Didn't it turn out like you planned?

For every hole in your neighbor's garden

There's a pretty flower in your hand

There's an atomizer of lavender water

Between the bowl of seashells and your diary

A historical record of dreams remembered

Or lies you told yourself to stay asleep

Now you've flown far away on your father's carpet

And the tea leaves you read have stained your white hands

The future came, neither you or he could stop it

By lying down in all of those ambulances

I loved you when you said, "Let's run away

And never look back over our shoulders,"

But the very last thing that I'd want to say

With every sunset you're going to get older

So tell me why you're so bitter woman

Didn't it turn out like you planned?

For every hole in your neighbor's garden

There's a pretty flower in your hand