Good Beginners

Iris is a boxer

With fists of broken teeth

And Oisin's driving taxis

But struggling with sleep

And the streetlights past the window

Graze the bruises on her face

He tries for conversation

But the words have been misplaced

And I've been telling fortunes

To sugarcoat your scars

For wounds are often shadows

Who stay up after dark

And I'm thinking I should tell you

But the room's a carousel

And we're spinning like a summer

Shattered knees upon the shells

My fingers trace the line

Between the gestures and the signs

Unravel and collide

But maybe it's alright

To be a good beginner

Beyond the amber dragons

The watchmen drink alone

Concerned about the troubles

That they've failed to diagnose

And there's comfort in the kitchen

Playing games with blunted knives

But the blindfold's started slipping

And I'm opening my eyes

My fingers trace the line

Between the gestures and the signs

Unravel and collide

But maybe it's alright

To be a good beginner