Beyond my reach
© 1968 by Jim Andris
I.
I was born underneath the Sign of the Arrow
Born to take the straight and the narrow
And they say that my eye was on the sparrow as a child.
All my days started fresh with the thrill of discovery;
There wasn't a time with the character of a revenge unsmiled.
What I had was a youth of Rousseauian freedom,
But the things that wise men say and sometimes teach
Are beyond my reach.
II.
And I met you.
I met you underneath the Sign of the Lion
Couldn't you hear my shameless cryin', baby?
You were the closest thing to Zion that was real.
Gentle girl with the eyes grey and open to everything
You gave me the power and the glory that every king wants to feel.
You held me with the strength of a thousand angels,
But that moment there beside you on the beach
Was beyond my reach.
III.
And I will die.
I will die underneath the Sign of the Demon
With nothing to soothe my anguished screamin'.
No, not even your face with its compassion and control.
Tell me why there are some who from the beginning
Aren't given a God to stop the sinning in their soul.
Now you smile with a smile that shows understanding,
But this question that I you with tears beseech
Is beyond your reach.
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