Anna Begins

My friend assures me, “It’s all or nothing.”
I am not worried
I am not overly concerned
My friend implores me, “For one time only,
Make an exception.”
I am not worried
Wrap her up in a package of lies
Send her off to a coconut island
I am not worried
I am not overly concerned with the status of my emotions
“Oh,” she says, “you’re changing.”
But we’re always changing

It does not bother me to say this isn’t love
Because if you don’t want to talk about it then it isn’t love
And I guess I’m going to have to live with that
But I’m sure there’s something in a shade of gray
Or something in between
And I can always change my name
If that’s what you mean

My friend assures me, “It’s all or nothing.”
But I am not really worried
I am not overly concerned
You try to tell yourself the things you try to tell yourself
To make yourself forget
I am not worried
“If it’s love,” she said, “then we’re going to have to
think about the consequences.”
She can’t stop shaking
I can’t stop touching her and

This time when kindness falls like rain
It washes her away and Anna begins to change her mind
“These seconds when I’m shaking leave me shuddering
for days,” she says
And I’m not ready for this sort of thing

But I’m not going to break
And I’m not going to worry about it anymore
I’m not going to bend and I’m not going to break
And I’m not going to worry about it anymore
No no no no no,
It seems like I should say, “As long as this is love”
But it’s not all that easy so maybe I should
Snap her up in a butterfly net
Pin her down on a photograph album
I am not worried
I’ve done this sort of thing before
But then I start to think about the consequences
Because I don’t get no sleep in a quiet room and

The time when kindness falls like rain
It washes me away and Anna begins to change my mind
And every time she sneezes I believe it’s love and
Oh Lord, I’m not ready for this sort of thing

She’s talking in her sleep
It’s keeping me awake and Anna begins to toss and turn
And every word is nonsense but I understand and
Oh Lord, I’m not ready for this sort of thing

Her kindness bangs a gong
It’s moving me along and Anna begins to fade away
It’s chasing me away
She disappears and
Oh Lord, I’m not ready for this sort of thing