keep my skull (on your mantelpiece)

death dance in a minor key

mary, mary
you look like life today
you look to be bursting
like a fat pimple
look thrilling on the edge of the terrace

old northern wind took up
a deep breath
he heaved something great
emptied all of his chest
to give you, my dear, a hand

i beg of you and all that you dare
to consider the ground and its faults
and your wild dress waving like a surrender
consider my open arms
and the warmth inside this downtown apartment

over here, mary
i swear my skin holds true
it will not ask much of you
just one thing, a small thing
a step backward

i know you taste death
when you inhale, i know
that all the bread tastes stale
i know, i know
that you mean to finish this dance with a leap

but mary
don't you dare move a muscle
unless it's toward
my steady, constant love