.snippets from ani difranco's "shy"

the heat is so great,
it plays tricks with the eye,
it turns the road to water,
and then from water to sky.

*

i've got a dream of your face,

that scares me awake,

i put too much on my table,

and now i got too much a stake.

*

and i might let you off easy,

yeah i might lead you on,

i might wait for you to look for me,

and then i might be gone,

where i come from and where i'm going,

and i'm lost in between,

i might go up to that phone booth,

and leave a veiled invitation on you machine.

*

and you'll stop me, won't you,

if you've heard this one before,

the one where i surprise you,

by showing up at your front door,

saying 'let's not ask what's next,

or how, or why'

i am leaving in the morning,

so let's not be shy

*

and i roll over and taste the pillow with my grin,

well, the sheets are twisted and tangled,

and the heat is so great,

and i swear i can feel the mattress,

sinking underneath your weight,

oh sleep is like a fever,

and I'm glad when it ends,

and the road flows like a river,

and pulls me around every bend

*

and there's a crack in the concrete floor,

and it starts at the sink,

there's a bathroom in a gas station,

and i've locked myself in it to think.