Stove By A Whale

Sailin' on the sea

it's teal

your meal was alright

but not the captain's voice

it made me shake and squirm

Not in what you hear

but feel

surrealy thrust between

what accents mean

and what you think they should

And I'm not talkin' bout just bein' a mile up in the air

And I'm not talkin' down to people who are livin' there

But Stateside at the quay

you fear

the nearness of that auld familiar distance

between everything and you

The distance keeps us safe

from waves

of subcutaneous problems that our government

and our accents

and our parents

have us swimmin' in

all that sin

has soaked us through and through and through and through

And I'm not talkin' to the people who've been in jail

And I'm not talkin' 'bout just wanting to belong somewhere

And let's not talk about the colour of your eyes or your hair.

I'm talkin' 'bout talkin' 'bout the colour of the sea from way up there