I woke beneath a nameless blue with something holy on my hands The morning passed across my skin as if it knew I wouldn't last I heard the distant water breathe somewhere beyond the sleeping hills For one small second, I believed the earth had wanted me here Don't turn around I couldn't bear that tenderness There are beautiful things I should have never touched If I disappear before the dawn leave the sky exactly as it was Let the white birds cross the sea without learning anything of me I loved this world more than it ever asked me to And that is all that is all carry nothing not even my name There was a warmth along your palm I almost called a kind of grace But every word became too small before it reached your sleeping face Above the coast, the clouds were thin the stars looked terribly far away I wanted nothing from them then except to stay where they had stayed Don't look for me inside the things I used to love Somewhere the tide is touching land without us If I disappear before the dawn leave the sky exactly as it was Let the white birds cross the sea without learning anything of me I loved this world more than it ever asked me to And that is all that is all Maybe I was only passing through a quiet guest beneath these constellations Yet when the wind moved over you I almost envied being alive Almost— and isn't that strange When I disappear before the dawn let the sky become whatever comes Let the white birds lose the shore let them find another place to go I loved this world with an ache I couldn't use No one has to know No one has to know The morning will be beautiful I think that's what hurts
