We turned all our sharp parts inwards
kept our shell from breaking open
Our love was an idea
safe and sound and softly spoken
Ever since I've had a beak
I've wondered what a beak is for
What I meant to be a gentle peck
Struck fast and hard right to our core
First there was a bright,
tiny point of light
Then there was a fissure
that grew into a crack
and under all the pressure
a part of us was shattered
The feeling told us wholeness
was never coming back
We must learn to fall
before we learn to fly
It's a test of faith
for my love and I
Some try to stop us
they pluck out our feathers
while they're combing our wings
and some try to warn us
not to trust doting hands
with our most fragile things
All the red leaves shiver
overlooking the Hudson River
in their fragile spines
I see the lines
of my tired hands
I've been fortune telling them
they'll have long lives and children
deep inside I know we're all bracing
for the fall
We must learn to fall
before we learn to fly
It's a test of faith
for my love and I