Take her down, Tom, the time has come At last, I can hear her song Water contracts, our hold holds fast Like the last of the iron lungs My child and me through the miles and leagues Fall as hard and sessile as hail Echoing laughter fore and aft O’er the raft of the violet snail Now doesn't that sight put the fear of God in you Green light sweeps like a nightstick swinging Sonar softly pinging-ing-ing-ing-ing-ing-ing-ing I am appeased by what I have seen Now turn around, Ma, you already saw What you may and you'll look no further Haunting the post where the Holy Ghost poses Down through the rayless water Holding a child, oh, ain't it nice Ain't it wild and sweet to the verge of anguish? Ain't it absurd, I do not have words It is not for a lack of language Tethered to our floating home We scout for your crown and its Paley graph Your periscope a parapet Towering-ing-ing-ing-ing-ing-ing-ing Our God and King, thy Father watches the sheep And I swear on my soul, if it is all folderol Let us ring 'round the roses, honey Garbling all our sounds of woe Into hey nonny, nonny, nonny Last and the least, when the fire has ceased In a failsafe, essential breakaway Shot is released, we rise automatically Folderol, not-to-die, to-die-today Music sets us spinning and spinning Inscribe the memory of a honey bee With the silence of a ballerina We took a little walk across the lawn It was 2 o'clock, with my soft shoes on I met you at the dawn: May I cross the calm? I called: May I tag along? Hear you bawl a little sad song, it's a sad song Keep singing it honey, it ain't long Sing and I'll keep you safe and warm until the dawn DSRV-2 Avalon Wherever you are, wherever you've gone Leaning your cheek into the apple yellow dawn, Highway 1 We've been itching to meet you Recommission to meet you If you listen, I'll teach you a sad song Sing your machinery to sleep and shut the door Even Janthina once was as you are Sworn anathema to the guns, and the megatons, and all Only Janthina can defeat the men o' war If you could only hear my joy, just to know her Tie her little shoe, take her little hand Say hello to her, hello And there really ain't a lot I can show her Up on the deck, are we safe from harm? Are we ready to surface? In every respect, sound the alarm It goes so fast, it will feel slow We will arrive before you know We are free to go if we don't get stuck We'll be there by morning with a little luck Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na Lay her down, Tom, we are overrun But there is time for another story Smoke at the door as siphonophore Coiling blue as a morning glory It is the hour, see the little hand See the lambs we have kept and guarded Tower of steel cartwheeling in the sand With the force of the waters parted It is the hour, we are far from home We, the lambs who will not be slaughtered I am not afraid, I am not alone I'm not alone, I have brought my daughter I'm not alone