mandolin lesson

admired is he jerking this chain
or playing with his mandolin? on
certain tuesdays he hath gambled
with his heart or with his hammer

undefined the past an arrow
glancing harmless off the shoulder's
blade the memory of all that chipped
it's place in the quill deceptive

china boy china boy broken
at the top of the stairs limited
scope the arrow spent the mandolin
played song of repentance

lyric of defeat its tuesday
now the wheel spins to double
naughts my warming self to see
its constants in the mirror

brief melody played murder
unremembered chosen from the
list of static tactics you
heard this apology in the wind

"and the mandolin wind
doesn't change a thing ..."