Precipice (Draft)

Last track off the EP...

One minute you’re sitting there at the dining room table
Looking across at her
And then the next thing you know
You’re listening to her coughing into the toilet bowl from the next room
You hear her cough and shudder
Whimpering
The sound of her lunch slapping against the porcelain
And you’re not wondering what to do
Whether you should help her
Get her a glass of water or hold back her hair
You’re imagining taking her in your arms and beginning frankly
Explaining to her that every moment up until now has been misspent
And how every choice she made, every fucked up corner and drug binge
Was nothing more than a cry for help
And you’re listening
Oh, you’re listening
But now real life begins
And it’s going to involve you guiding her gently
Taking her by the hand
Helping her tip toe across the creek
Tiny feet on tiny stones
Showing her the way
Emptying the house of everything she’s crammed inside
Draining the fluid
And kissing better her wounds

And then you’re thinking back to when you first met
And thinking she should have cuts up and down her arms
Long jagged wounds
Scratches
From when she forced her hands through the glass
How else could she let people know
What other way was there
But her skin is smooth and rich
And you just can’t understand it

You imagine pulling her hair
And slamming her against the wall
Screaming at her
Letting your fists do the talking
(And you know this isn’t going to work)

And you’re thinking about her face
And the way her lips curl around words
The snarl
Savage and ruthless like a dog pulled tight on its chain
The spittle dripping off the tongue
The raw hunger for violence and destruction

And you know that if you go there
If you step inside that hole
You won’t be coming out
You’re going to leave something in there
Something important
And that thing will be lost and you’ll never get it back
If you can even climb out at all

And you hear her coughing and the flush of the toilet
You hear her bare feet padding along the floorboards towards you
You know that she’s coming
You know a lot

So what do you do?