Algernon - Typhoon

A woman leans in her chair

Holds her face close to mine

She’s curious, am I comfortable?

Would I care to give it one more try?

She holds the picture up, while she studies my eyes

I’m trying hard to recall the routine, but I can’t and so I improvise

This one’s of my father

Wearing ladies clothes

I walked in on him once as a kid, must have thought nobody else was home

It’s a lie and she knows

But there’s no other use

And anyway what you want and what you want to be are easily confused

And the moment stretches on

Like the first day of school and I’ve answered wrong

Like a self-enclosed short-circuit goes around forever until it’s gone

A woman shrinks in her chair

She says, «the picture’s of you.»

I have no idea what she’s talking about but I nod my head as if I do

Look at there, such a strong man

All the virtues of youth

You led a good life by every account

There were people who looked up to you

I say, «enough is enough

You have found me out

You have called my bluff

I don’t know anything about this stuff

I’m just tired and I’m waiting for my wife to pick me up.»

A woman slouched in her chair disrupts the silence to say

«The part of you that I love is still in there even if it doesn’t know my name.»

And the moment stretches on

Like the colonnade at the Parthenon

It’s an unmarked grave but somebody’s laid some flowers for Algernon

A woman stirs in her chair

But I hope that she stays

Never seen her before in my life, but strange such a familiar face