Simon's song

Simon was a
whisperer; he whispered
when he slept. Simon went to
school Monday; he went to
make a friend. Simon made the
teachers cry: he was too
damn loud. At school, he was
troublesome; he put
the other kids down. Simon’s folks asked
the school’s advice: they took books
off their shelf. Simon thought these
crazy thoughts; he’d whisper
to himself. Simon told the
doctor lies. He’d rather
not have friends, then tell the world
his crazy thoughts; he cried out
loud instead. The doctor gave him
yellow pills: he was
only nine. His mom thought they
needed time; he knew
they worked fine. Simon had a
year’s supply before his
parents knew. Simon had been
hiding them: yellow pills
under his bed.

Simon knelt
before his bed to whisper
God a prayer. “God won’t you
take me away
to heaven and back,
to the moon and back,
fly away with wings tied to my back.


Simon grew up
very strange; he drank away
his pain. Simon looked
straight at the sun; tell himself
“We are the same.” Simon whispered
to the moon, “Why aren’t you
my home?” Simon chased
the animals: he felt so
alone. Simon thought these
crazy thoughts; he thought he’d
gone mad. Simon knelt
before his bed, “God, I’ve
got it bad.”

And “God won’t you
take me away
to heaven and back,
to the moon and back,
fly away with wings tied to my back.