a girl and a dog sing under my window
the minor falls, the major lifts
and all my disquietude drifts
off to one side and out the door

the sky full of stars and the moon so blue
moths take a fancy to my table lamp
my cheeks recovered from their former damp
and the thought in my head that boys don’t cry

i look at the pile of crumpled sheets
the last blank page in my shabby sketchbook
the promise of less is all it took
to end at the start and cry some more

so i draw the girl and her funny dog
the stars and the moon, moths and the lamp
and this seat of emotions will subtly shift
to slough off the shadows when morning comes