Mary Alice

Go on, Mary Alice
You’ll never know what hit you
Swim alone in the sun and starving
Between alligators nesting
Think of the places you’ll never go
When you’re carrying firewood out in the snow
Spit in the river, kiss the ground
Grind to dust without a sound
Hold on, mary alice
No one can pull you under
Felled heads, roll and tumble
Peacefully through the valley
Suffer long enough, it’s driven into your blood
Through your body, out the top of your skull
Behold, my, Mary Alice
A ghost of looming cruelty
Two pass on, two sad beside you
This is all I can give you
Work with people or work alone
Wear your fingers to the bone
Dive for rocks or dive for pearls
Swim in a school for wayward girls
I know you won’t talk, you should never have need to
You’ve said all you need for knowing