Years Long Ago

If we returned to the places we lived in before If we turned from all that we'd gained If we lived out a life that we struggled to change Just to turn back the calendar page Then we'd see that our memory betrayed us We'd see what had frightened us so We'd hear all the voices that fall silent now Pieces of years long ago Some people say if you live in the past It can make sight much clearer The turning and churning of gears in their heads Squeaking from rust and decay Then tomorrow is just incidental Awful, deliberate and slow Turning alone like a clock on a shelf Backward - to years long ago I cannot live in the past anymore No need to understand why The smile on your face blows the vacuum away Gone with the wink of your eye Can we rearrange furniture sleeping Grab hold and never let go Buy some new shoes and walk you and me Away from the years long ago