Lost Cause by Beck

charlie chaplin

the great train
robbery

broke my heart

in london in

1903
it was only faces
on the train

of people
not money (but still)...

i was sitting
on a broken
chair

looking in your eyes
i

made you smile    
(i loved goodbye)    i
cried it

like wolf and
somehow

i stood up
on

the platform
by myself
and

did it:
i

won.

Train Leaving Gray by Mason Jennings

retro

today i see things
slanted

(crooked)

like a hook
on a sideways
mountain,

crushed in all my
(m)

(c) squared

escher-ness  and
i crumble
down the hill,

jack and jill as
i can get.    i
see things

tilted, today.
hands deconstruct my world
and

draw themselves in circles

as i slide circumspect across
the floor.

so sue me.

I Saw by Matt Nathanson

soundless

on stage muffled sound
like it

is in snow

i look   outside my window
and see

the second snow

this year. echoes of
your acoustic guitar
flail

off the railings
and come back to me

afternoon passes
with me here,
chin up    but  eye

lashes
gray
as the clouds

i keep my heart posted
to the sky,

hoping you will
come again,

maybe three times this year,
and

make my eyes see
(or hear) cold

and
happy...

Lovely Fool by Jack Savoretti

taconic

i got a bad case
of

the lonelies

last night
i walked in the kitchen
and

saw my flower
on the windowsill

all bathed
in
christmas light

(and)

the way she leaned into the cold
and bowed
her amaryllis head

i had to fight
back tears.

they're gone now,
they're

all gone.
even

when the sun shines
she

remains
in the mountain state of

timelessness.

Fallen From the Sky by Glen Hansard

after

two days later   i
trudge

through stepped-in snow,
adding

footprints to places
where
people have already gone

i

feel the tracks of my tears
seeping in, too,
on

the chasms of my cheeks
beside my eyes

like the ground
beside the tree

stomped to pieces

and
full of snow

that used to be

white    i
trudge,
quietly,
alone

except for the
trodden snow

Pray by Pyotr Tchaikovsky

gifted

the sparkle

in your eyes
is nothing

compared to that angel
on the tree   i

see it long before
it

opens

and on christmas day
the magic

of the moment
overwhelms me so

i point
to

the star, the star
on

top of the world

it shines and we reach for them,
for

the stars...

Away In A Manger by The Greatest Christmas Show On Earth

for richard

someone gave me
this flower

for christmas,
an amaryllis

i place it
on the windowsill  and

it graces all the snow
we have today
in texas

(one single bloom)

precepts
like diamonds

and cowboy boots   i

keep this flower (close to my heart)
like all

precious metals you must

i

hear it growing.
it wishes me a merry christmas

while someone sings
like bing    and

these are happy tears.  (the kind

that look
like flowers...)

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy by the Berlin Symphony Orchestra

blizzard

i feel it coming

the cold heat
of winter

i love
this scarf
(the one that tastes
like christmas)

and

how it feels like chocolate
on my skin

like silk

(cashmere) blankets
in the snow

so dance,
little
sugar plum fairy:
dance

it's cold outside

(baby)

but i am warm here
with

my thoughts of you...
merry

christmas,
winter....

Right to Be Wrong by Joss Stone

scanner

christmas this year

is like
playing a six-string guitar

with only five strings  after
one

popped off
and hit me kerplunk
in the face   i
lost it

in the shuffle.
the music   sounds

muffled   and

i wonder if anybody
but me can hear
the melody,

like laughing in
december,

and bells.
i keep playing   not

because it
sounds good but

because
it is christmas,

and
even when something
is missing

you can
hear it in your

heart.

Marshmallow World by Bing Crosby

mink

with all the secrets
of

a lion in a wardrobe
i bade

you come in

through my front door, which
is marbled, crackled grass
with

foggy faces

as if you
breathed on me

and looked
at me

in narnia vision.

i open the door
as you jingle,
bells on leather,

with the happy mystery
of

a season: old,

and new.

Sway by the Perishers

maple

darker and light
with

feathers

i linger (holding)

you
between my fingers
bird

hands
with gloves
covered

my skin

i fly
toward you

as they sing
holly jolly
christmas

to the clouds

oh

i love you,

and this is how
i
say it...

For Me, It's You by Train

break

you know that feeling
when

you're on the verge

of falling asleep
in some public place
on

a train somewhere and
part of you

suddenly
twitches

and you're back awake again

because you feel
so foolish...

i

feel just like that...

with all the little tinglies
and the shame and

the bliss

of coming so close
to actually

falling asleep
before

you snap

back to reality...

In The Colors by Ben Harper

decisive

some times  (i) get
overwhelmed

yes
every time (i)
get

in my car,
it

is the same, and so

please can (i) pull
out my hair

(i) would just
for the sake
of

variety    or

maybe (i) will climb
upside down

through the sunroof
or something.

(i) still sing along
to
the same song

on
my radio (i hate it)

so please
(i)

need something new, maybe
air

conditioning

or open windows blowing
in my hair.
just,

please,
be

something different.

Dear Me by Mike Schmid

dublin

he asked me
if i'm
from england

and i laughed
i

said no

i'm from texas

as
soon as i said it
i knew

it wasn't true.
he came in shivering
and i stood there
watching

in my little glow worm world and
decided

i do.
i do come from england.

my ankles
like stonehenge
buckle and

my buildings swell
before they break
and i

feel the artist parts of me
sink in italian
by the bones
of

the ancient sea  and

i wish
i was.

i could see myself there,
shining,
like a lightning bug
doomed

to illuminate the pages
of history,
but never,

never to be
a part

of them.

Everyday by Toby Lightman

accepted

last class
of the day

and

they want
to
call me barbie

i said that's okay
so when

i sit in the chair    and

soak up the late
afternoon
sun

on the golden side of my hair

it
doesn't matter so much

if i'm fat, or if
old navy's having a sale.  i

can't explain it but

i like
the fact
that i feel

numb as a lightning bolt right now:
as

numb and pretty
as a hollow
plastic
doll...

My Favorite Memory by Corey Tut

tiny dancer

every day

a new debacle

and   i fly

with

the tiny turquoise strings

wrapped around

my

shoulder

blades like december

well

it's almost january now   and

with every twirl

i twirl

a new

day of time

and love

(art)

is a terrible

thing to waste

i should know   i

stomp it to death

every day

with the rhythm 

of the rumba,

making

my own dance.

every time.

and

i love it.

i

love it...

Alone on a Saturday Night by Robby Hecht

tango

i look at this picture
of

the pluteus larva
of a sea biscuit

and

it looks like
the
mechanical starfish arms   i

have
that are
pulled in so many
different directions

(my) fingers feel like
the radial tips
of

a star under water     all

splayed
in microscopic spasms,

positions in which
it feels

so alone
in the sea   and

to be swimming here
without you,

well,

it feels like ten thousand
arms

just dropped me
from

the sky

Be Here Now by Ray LaMontagne

arrive

here it is

the inevitable breakdown
that always comes
after

you fall trying to hard
you

fall down and
men

scatter around you like toys
like

gerbils

they run
about you
with claws
laughing

at the sound
of

your heart
while
it's

breaking to pieces

and
here it is, the hard part.

after you fall,
the living vortex
of love

that consumes you alive and

it has come,
it is here...

Unloved by Jann Arden

indentured


i go

swift (ly) closing all

the doors

in my way

and

they all say

hello sweet (ly)

that

even with wrongs and

failures i

hear you say

you are (my) best

teacher

in the world and

as i (fly)

down slopes i turn

to look at her

and

say thank you

with (my) eyes

i smile

at them

the way i still did

at you

when you told me

how

(all) the little children

liked me.

for some

reason...

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas by Gayla Peevey

verde

slowly and alone
i jingle

like bells

on my feet

walking down fifth
with

the tune of
salvation army bells.

with ears like elves   i
listen for the clink
of metal

as

i place my change
into
the old red bucket and

(hoping
for a better
way)

i
still like silver
and gold (so)

that's why i give it away,

especially

with ice and little red ribbons
like snow.

i'm wearing white today
to
imitate

the angels
and

i try to step
in rhythm while they watch   so

slowly,

happily,

i will become my

brightest christmas
self...

Not As We by Alanis Morissette

cheese

i was
sitting there

surrounded

by my own hair,
held up

by the smell of

chocolate labs and lace  and

i kept on plucking
my yellow

gold split ends and

flicking them away
and

they would land
like snow on

top of my

long black sleeves
where

they lay like
little flecks
of golden dust

it's just dead
old skin

cells

but still
the follicular mess

i've surrounded myself in,

at least,
makes me feel

like
i've done something.

Hide And Seek by Imogen Heap

taylor

six nights
of not
sleeping

and

as kanye said
this is bad

real bad

and playing hide and seek
with sanity
i fall awake
too much

it's fire and ice
i'm telling you

outside

it's cold and nippy at
26 degrees

and

my flannel daisy sheets
are

failing to deliver
swiftly

on their promise
to keep me warm.

like you.

i protest.

i'll get it back
if i have
to

take it.

Split Screen Sadness by John Mayer

bogey

gold hair
on

umbrella spokes   i
am
audrey hepburn  in

paris but

it's only
paris texas

and

i just hit myself in the nose
with a camera

so

i listen to the music
trying to sing

but

somewhere in the
dean martin induced

white christmas of it all

i've come undone.

there is nothing left to do
but dance.

She's Gone by Waz

restriction

you know

what,

i got my story
from you
and
that is all that matters
in

the end

our history
in the making

was mine
and

my story
(oh yeah)
is

all about you,  baby
but

even more
it is
about me

and the time
i sat
on your bed
and

showed you how
to sew

a button
on your shirt   i

learned

things

about my self    i
adhered

myself to your fingers,
ever after,

with needle
and

thread...

Yesterday by Eva Cassidy

lightning bug

every once
in a while

i close my door
and

smell
your mother's perfume...

it lingers there...

on
scalloped lace edges

with little
white
florentines

and i think about
sending

her a thank you card
or

at least
i wonder if it

would burn your edges...

(the hard ones)

you hold
against me
and

the clear shards
of romance

i wrap
tight

around my neck...

I Don't Want to Hear It Anymore by Shelby Lynne

polar

red and blue
socks

my shirt
sings songs
like the

wind-up santa
on

the doorstep
of the snowflake
on the doily covered folding table   i

feel
like mrs. clause

sitting alone
here
in the middle

of this
festive sea

tick-tock

watching

all the vocal
swarm of happy people

moving in motion blur

around my head
except
for me,

left behind by time,

isolated and cold
in air

like a raindrop
in a
  polar

ice cap sea...

Sunday Afternoon by Rachel Yamagata

tidings

too much to do   i
reel

at (the) thought
of

seven christmases

at home
alone
no

body
to cuddle with
under
my new snuggie

and (the) trees

all
bursting with light

so

i won't pass
i won't collect two
hundred dollars    i'll

just

go straight to bed
and
rest my

unbrushed hair
on (the) pretty,

after,

thought of smoking
coal...

In My Lady's House by Iron & Wine

ornate

is that a
snow

flake symbol

i see
on a friday

for
the weather (or not)

that chill (oh love)
i

love wearing scarves
with stripes on
them,

sweaters with ribs
and

hats with feathers

my coats with fur
hoods and

my gloves
my hands

covered
in red fleece

(oh no)
i

see a sunshine
next

to sunday

it is
time

to fall
(in love)

again...

It's Good to Be in Love by Frou Frou

aviary

snow flakes
and
music

on my mind

i
feel so small

like a bird
wrapped

up

in your ways
and

with the smell
of your perfume
on my cheeks

i
let it linger
in my soul

i pull my
wings

in tight

and
think of you.

that
sparkle
in my eyes

it is

because of you

(and)
your love,

like birds...

Everything'll Be Alright by Joshua Radin

swirl-tastic

van gogh
should have
seen

this

a thousand
daisy clouds

and
snow
in december
in texas
and

i missed it   but
that's okay...
because

i found the sky.

i painted it
just
the way
it was...

poor, poor
neglected
sunflowers
my

christmas trees
in well-lit windows
draw

a storm
of adoration (and)

i love being here,
i do,

i do...

Goodbye (Piano Version) by Sean Fournier

elephant skin

i love
the cold epidermis

of the sky
when

gray

elephant wrinkles
it reminds

me of the fish
factory
in the fog

in the winter
in the rain              i

love how

close it is
(to my heart) and

under cover
like a man

(who says
i love you) and

really, really
means it.

or like the sky
and

the goosebumps
i get
when it's cold, or

when

you touch my

skin...

Ashes and Wine by A Fine Frenzy

scotch

cold house
and
cold room

it is christmas

and
i have gifts
to give

nobody wants to receive so

with
paper cuts
on my fingers and

plastic
bows in my hair

i  wrap
myself

in snowflakes
and

400 thread count
penguins

(for you)

while

all around me
(snow) like foam
and

the empty feel of
December 26th...

Communication by the Cardigans

hey

good job
on reading my mind and

on
the whole
loving me thing.

i guess
there's a shortage
of

qualified candidates today     i
don't care
to listen

to your reasons
anymore
boss so i

don't plan to stay
just say
the words

you know
(like donald trump) and

get your
old

white ways to

walking
out my door...

Hounds of Romance by Jody Gnant

november

the sound
of

christmas

coming
out of stores

and
my house smells
like cookies for

the very
first time in years

salvation

army people
ring their
bells

and   i

click my heels
together

dropping pennies
into jars.

warm chocolate
chip fizz seeps

in

to my soul...

Halfway Home (Live) by Jason Mraz

knock

your absence
buoys

me up

how
strangely we met

and
intersected

(i suspect)
i think
like pineapples and kismet.
i

piece things
together and
we

were meant to be.

maybe.

the turbulent old days
of summer
and the

speed of our triumphant

rise    and    fall

belies
the true meaning
of today:

you could save it,
like the

rind

of a thousand boats.

Georgia by The District

goose

the delicate blur
of

things

you have not done

i wonder
where it goes

when you cook your own turkey
what happens

to the blood

i eat it happily
(if)
i don't think

about dying.   i

dropped all
those things

(the ones)
i love

in the water
so

(close the lid),

and be happy
without me.

i'm not in focus.
(thanks, bird)
for

giving.

Can I Stay by Ray LaMontagne

shopping

i feel bad
leaving

you alone.
probably standing
by a door

holding your iphone in your hand,

waiting for me
to walk back
through the glass.

i hear
you

listen for me,

wide open for the click
of my new
yellow shoes

like a camera's shutter.

well...
i can't come tonight (baby)
but i feel
bad about it

and i feel like
dresses
fit me better

than they used to (your
eyes) and smile

the way they
come together

in my mind...

i'm sorry.

When the Time is Right by Griffin House

hyperbaric

i wake up
without

sufficient
oxygen
in the room   and

with gale force winds
forcing bugs

to crawl
succinctly
down my throat,

i swallow.
i turn over

these
flowers

are still here (oddly enough)
after

all these years without the sun.  i
wake up
without you (and)

in my dreams,

i sang all the songs.
i

keep breathing
long after
you go, honest,

i do,

but without you there
isn't anything to
do

with my lungs.
no

love.
no oxygen.
no

music.

Fireflies by Ron Pope

stoic

i have a

fascination with stone faces.
that is (probably)

why i chose you,
in large, circular part:

a big yellow smile
on
the bottom of your shoe

and
nobody sees it
but me

and only (not)
when i need it   i

back  -   track

to all the creases i made
in
my own face,

like
concrete wrinkles

firm up (tight)
while i sleep,  and cry

cracking in the rain
you are

my own plaster
of paris   and

i knew it
would be you
all along

but
you see

i have
this recurring thing.
i love

obelisks,

like you...

Let It Be Me by Ray LaMontagne

breathless

days and hours   later
my hands

still smell
of orange

my fingers
flicker like

paper birds (into my hair)

and as they pass
they are
your eyes,

like somebody
who is lost.

smelling like vanilla
i saw

your dad today   he

was pouring coffee
and it

made me remember
the food,
and the back of your

head
with its plumage   i

used to hold it inside mine, but

then it flew
away...

Won't You Come Again by Susie Suh

march 13

you remain
in my head

noise less (and)

after all this time
i see orange when

they announce
your name...

it is like
picking scabs
off my heart
while i sleep.

we will see
(how it is)   if

bikes could fly

i would walk down that aisle
and come
to your wedding

un (invited)

and i would say
i love you

in front of all the brides and
she would

throw cake in my face

because i
would have won.
i haven't
won a thing since

nineteen ninety eight.

my red victory
is starting

to fade
into

yellow...

Why Can't I Be Beside You by Adam Daniel

marigold

we fall together
like puce

and pewter, stone and ice

you never even
sang to me
but

on beaches
with other women (apparently)

you are bocelli himself    i

think your colors

are stupid -   yeah, that is
what i said, but

in reality
i really don't.
i love them. and

my jealousy glows
as much as those
stinky rotten half-gold
flowers

(the ones i've always loved)

until it is almost
as much as
i have always loved you

but

i can't say it now,
her vows are

set in stone...

Lake and Ocean by The Coral Sea

oh fur

rabbit you

fell out of my hole
i peek out
ears flapping and

i watch people walk by

they wear coats
made out
of money

and i don't care  i
need it

(something) time

and maybe one new
pair of shoes

the hair and watches spin
while hatters hop  it's

all a little bit of show to (show) me

things don't go as
planned

and life is just
a rabbit
hole turned

inside out,

good luck charms
across the floor...

all (fur) you.

Suffer in Silence by The Frames

hatch

consumed
by this story

i write
until
my fingers
start to twitch and

still

it's not enough   it
will not ever be, not

until it lives.

my yolky sanity
breaks
in two,
and i spill
like cider

between
and
over

the edges while i wait
for you
to sign me

giving birth
to pieces
inside

of me  and

i eat breakfast,
blissfully,

like a champ. i

have never even won

anything...

Lies by Glen Hansard

hoax

the saddest side
is

i believed you

while the buzzing bees
dissolved all
their honey  i

made trees out of
the lies
you gave to me

every fly and every bird

makes out
better than me  all
feigning happiness

to try
and simplify
the sting  i
return my hives with

only one idea in mind and

that is you,

at Christmas, covered
in snow.

like the olden days.
the yellow gold stripes
on my branches

fall in disarray.
i still

adore you, still

believe you...

Leave Me In The Dark by Keri Noble

diode

sapphire lights
all

the large-ness of
what you were

the fire
of human souls
collide

with tonight  i

never saw anybody's
back lit eyes as bright
as yours before

or

quite as blue,
but i am

willing to admit
you consume me.

our
energies collide
as fast

as lightning
bolts   alone

the

electricity unfolds and
we have

become a necessity,
a sign
post

of eccentricity for
every one

to see...

Watch Over Me by Bernard Fanning

knight

as a harbinger of peace
it took

me a while to realize

some people
are just mean.

vicious (they call it)
like

they have sour
apple juice
stuck
on the back of

their tongues,

no remorse.
they will rip apart
your face

while you stand (shining)
before them.

somebody  please
call the vineyard,
i need some wine

and

some birds    i
gotta grow a spine

because worms won't
cut it

any more, they

never did...

El Otro Lado by Josh Rouse

miracle mile

you told me (once)

my hair
looked

like an angel.

i dare you to   see me now,

take your picture
just like this

of my ragged heart and

try to remember

you did this.
do you regret me?

i review the stars

you left some
in
my eyes

and the way
you laughed
that night
under the trees

in massachusetts  i

cried so hard
the branches fell down
around me,   so

tell me (now)

how i look. do

i look like an angel
to you?

Things You Shouldn't Do by Margot and The Nuclear So And So's

motive

i understand now

how

the moth flickers
toward

the light  like a thief
he

waves his hands

in front of it
with vigor and relief   i

have done the same today  i

feel ruthless

every now (when)

i find   that things are separating
ending the way they
used to be,
turning off    i

flicker
toward any chance i have and
(any love)

like there used to be.

i wave my hands
in front of it.    i

hope you will see me,
i, the moth,

looking for my light...

Tell Me A Lie by Griffin House

embers

save  i have

to save you first
before you commit suicide

and then
i can delete
with reckless abandon,

like smoke and bridges

covered in ash
i leave

a trail of broken hearts
blazing

and smolders
in my wake

i burn them and
leave them

(in a box in my attic).

tell faulkner
dreams
make good things

to jump from.

some are heights from which
you can throw yourself
and never

hit

another dream (another
fulcrum of love)

you couldn't stand

and tears

and flames...