all that time that you kill   pulling smoke to your lungs   in a parking lot covered in green glass and shimmering   the light on your face starts to darken then dissipate   the ghost was inside your mouth   placing bets with your teeth   forcing your voice out   pushing your tongue up from underneath   and I passed the fields we were racing the sun      you slipped away past the fog and the fire   like I saw the footsteps cut out of the ash   we traded names just to see if the colors would change   and they did      I got sick of the pull   you just sputtered and sang   you were nothing -- a curtain, the sawdust, a weather vane   and don't try to skip past the part where you realize      you slipped away past the fog and the fire   like I saw the footsteps cut out of the ash   we traded names just to see if the colors would change   and they did      well I lied my way out of this one   and you lied your way to a ditch   and I fought myself just to stay up   out of your street-walking tongue-talking sleep   how it concerned you   and eventually   me