The pedal steel guitar sings thin
in clear half light, move your knee
an inch to the right and there
is its voice. Stand me by
the plastic flowers on the bar.
Make it gentle, it must be gentle.
Let me drift down into the sound
as slow as sawdust in the air, as soft
as sawdust in the air, into
the titular parenthesis (“(If I’m Gonna Sink)
I Might As Well Go To The Bottom”).
Please make it gentle, it must be gentle.
Make me an embroidered flower
on your lapel, a tattoo upon the slope
of your chest. I’ll be your answer song.
“Are You Ready?”. “Are You Sincere?”.
“Are You Washed In The Blood?”,
“Are You Wasting My Time?”.
Set me on the bar, I’ll be your bad luck charm.
I’m as small as sawdust in the air.
Little golden locket, old grey mule.
Little sparrow, turtle dove.
Size Writes 