I wish I were quiet.
I wish I grew up in a small New England town.
putting jam inside jam jars.
reading books under blankets with flashlight eyes.
I wish I were patient.
I wish I didn't know violence.
just soft summer nights where hands are held.
and puzzles are started on kitchen tables.
I wish I were subtle.
I wish I had an age-old trade.
something to live in like a knife slide.
just a sharp and simple character doing his best.
I wish I were an artist.
I wish I had paint on my overalls all the time.
tied up with one thing or another.
with a midnight barn where I toil with acrylics.
I wish I were clever.
I wish I had the devil's tongue.
quick to sell or say go to hell.
singing like the choir below.
I wish I were a time traveler.
I wish I could control it all.
snap my finger and visit dead days.
smell those sheets that didn't cover my finger once again.