We Are Young

This is my 1000th poem-a-day.

Which is insane to think about. And amazing.

This poem is a continuation of my project of writing a poem for every #1 song on my birthday. I posted them in November 2011. This is the one from this year. I hadn't gotten around to writing it because I've been generally bored with the songs I've had to work with lately. The last 10 years of songs were dull content-wise. I tried to make this about something more than teen angst. Tried. Angst is sort of a root feeling.

You know?


We Are Young 5/4

I just thought maybe we could find new ways to fall apart
new forms that we could become – new elements – maybe be dark matter
so –
          let’s set the world on fire
 
watch the spinning collider and feel it – really –
feel that collision and know what it means to be made up of atoms
I just thought maybe we could find new ways to fall apart
 
They always said you had old eyes – I mean – we are young
but these hands are dust from billions of years ago – we ARE stardust
so let’s set the whole world on fire
 
watch it pretend to burn before the horizon twists into aurora borealis
all green blue red and gorgeous – I just thought
maybe
          we could find new ways to fall apart
 
but I know that this body and that one are too apart and too connected
That lightening breaking us apart would take all the energy of the sun
so let’s set the world on fire
 
Watch – the angles never arrived
here is my hand – tree limbs are fingers – sea coming up in your eyes
I just thought maybe we could find new ways to fall apart
so let’s set the world on fire.