She puts on her boots and coat, walks out the door, waves
who knows where she's going, she's moving so fast
no money, no plan, except to go for broke
and to listen only to the speaking of her heart
What is life after all, but this one lesson
repeated, everything changes, everyone leaves
It's autumn, the trees have let go their leaves
the wind's blown the surface of the lake into waves
She needs to swim, even breathing's a lesson
the body relearns in the rhythm of water, slow, fast fast
to the steady pumping of blood from the heart
that can be, and will be, she doesn't yet know it, broken
She finds out what it means to be so broke
you sleep in the park, where through the leaves
the silver spoon of the moon gladdens your heart
and the hunger for living comes in wild waves
When she can't eat, she will willingly fast
She can't help but learn it, that hunger does lessen
She's learning all those other lessons
that you don't need to fix it, if its not broke
that maybe you shouldn't always move so fast
that sometimes, it doesn't matter how, you must just leave
and also, some other time you can let the next big wave
take you to the shore, carry you. She takes heart
But this is the problem with hearts
as unruly as hers, no lesson
is really learned. When he waves
goodbye the several pieces, broken
lie there, like autumn leaves
crumble when she tries to hold them fast
Not too slow, not too fast
this is the rhythm of the heart
flowers drop their petals, trees their leaves
they have no need of lessons
when, on the shore it's broken
it recedes and starts again, the wave
The past, where the waves break
and her heart beats fast
is always a lesson in what we leave
