Pittsfield

I’m not afraid of you now, I know
So I climbed down from the bunk beds this low
I can talk back to you now, I know
From a few things I learned from this TV show
You can work late till midnight, we don’t care
We can fix our own meals, we can wash our own hair
I go to school before sunrise, in the cold
And I pulled the alarm, and I kicked up the salad bowls
Since that time we meant to say much
Unsaid things begin to change
After school we shoveled through the snow
??? stayed inside with silence in the cold
You can remind me of it
That I was lazy and tired
You can work all your life as
I’m not afraid of you anymore
If I loved you a long time, I don’t know
If I can’t recall the last time you told me so Here in this house in Pittsfield
The ghost of our grandmother works at the sewing machine post
Hiding the bills in the kitchen on the floor
And my sister lost her best friend in the Persian Gulf War
There was a flood in the bathroom last May
And you kicked at the pipes when it rattled oh the river it made
Stand there, tell me that I’m of no use
Things unspoken break us if we share
There’s still time to wash the kitchen floor
On your knees, at the sink once more
You can remind me that I was tired
You can work late and give yourself up Now that I’m older, wiser, and working less
I don’t regret having left the place a mess
You can remind me that I was lazy and tired
You can recall your life as
I’m not afraid of you, anymore
Anymore