cradle of my kin

I would be a beggar on the street
If you had not carried me;
My lazy heart rolled fat and heavy,
Startled by each mountain of defeat.

I would lie dry-foaming at the mouth,
Hope drained from my leaky soul;
And every trail I would take
Would lead me further, further south.

I would melt like warming snow in this foreign sun
If you had not whispered love
In waves of stronger mountain air
Holding up my broken wings, lest I come undone.

My home--it travels with me--in a sagging skin,
But you are what I cling to
When I need to be kept safe.
So name me, hold me, keep me, oh cradle of my kin!

a note to my sister

I feel so cool
I'm such a fool
I have an accordion
And I know that you want one
With bellows and buttons and switches and keys
I thought playing would be such a breeze
Well, my dear, the joke's on me,
Because it is quite hard, you see.