Practically at a Standstill

inside the door
go past the Missing in Action sign
a couple empty bottles of foreign wine
beyond her uncorked smile and the oh-so-perfect hair
if you drive another mile
she'd still be trying to get there
starting to do what many people do
in the summer or anytime
jumping her garden wall
to pick up the pieces after a great fall
worried deeply about life
playing with a Bowie knife
under the wheels of a little car
her heart tattoo a bleeding scar
resting on a railroad track
she's not looking forward
no longer interested in looking back
until early the next morning
but never completely buried
the signal light kept on blinking
she wouldn't be hurried
there were moments in her hour
like smashed seconds inside a year
practically at a standstill
i watched her shed a tear
inside the door
the highlight of her overnight trip
a sudden decision or a slip of the lip
in a hundred other places
echos could make or ruin a life
playing with a Bowie knife
under the wheels of a little car
her heart tattoo a bleeding scar
resting on a railroad track
she's not looking forward
no longer interested in looking back
inside the door
go past the Missing in Action sign
a couple of empty bottles of foreign wine
beyond her uncorked smile and the oh-so-perfect hair
if you drive another mile
she'd still be trying to get there.