Down is a good place to go
Down is out
Down is a scattering
Down is a stripping away.

Down is the letterpress imprint of ground
On the side of your face
Your head suddenly too heavy to lift
Your heart adrift
Moving slowly somewhere for the first time in a long time
Becoming acquainted with what it feels like
To lose
The will to live.

Down is a good place to go
And deeper down now
I'll never rise above myself again
It's over and under
My future is behind me
The sun comes up to blind me
No one will ever find me
Here.

Down is a good place to go
I want to quit
(I always knew I would)
Please let me somehow
Maybe the last thing I want to do is grow old
Maybe I'm finished now
Already.

Down is a good place to go
There's nothing for me now but to crawl away
Be still my soul
I just can't move
I won't anyhow
I'm broken down
Damaged goods
Skinny as sin
A crippled baby bird
Who fell
Who never learned to fly
And never could.

And then one day
Like any other
Finally
Down has a still small voice
She says
Aw, c'mon
I'm just getting you acquainted with a little dirt
I'm just having a little sport
Dragging you around
Branding a new mark on your hide
Y'know, what doesn't kill you and so on and so forth...
Let's give you something worth getting up for
For down is a good place
Down is a good place
Down is a good place
to go.

. . .

copyright 2000, Linford Detweiler