"every shade of blue"

"every shade of blue"
written on a strange day by jake kilroy.

while the past looks like shelves of books and bones,
resting dusty in a basement cavern of old wood and brick,
the future is a long road through the willowy south,
sweating hearts out beneath a moon that sighs
and groans and whispers truth to wanderers
that trudge ahead, aware of the glory and hope.

but these pockets were filled with stars when i started,
and they're polished stones in these moments of doubt,
as my grandfather's wristwatch spins like a nervous breakdown
and my mouth grits against itself,
plucking words from the gums
and letting the tongue rest for once.

speechless and starved, this is every shade of blue before me,
with glistening spots of gold and tarnished greens to boot.
every watery reflection is another direction, another death,
another rebirth, another memory, another thing to consider.
and when the grim reaper approaches me at the end of the road,
i hope he doesn't anticipate me running in a feverish panic
or bitching about the time it took or pointing out other travelers.
he should expect me to nod and set my belongings down
in the wet earth, remove my articles of clothing, one by one,
and swim in the moonlight, humming a song i could never forget.