Every Man Who's Said Goodnight

I envy every man
Who's said goodnight

Who's gotten to stay around
And see you lightly fall
Into a careless sleep

I keep imagining
Eighteen poets
Outside your window

Surrounded by Cyranos
You drift off
Feeling protected
By verses and stanzas

I imagine serenades
Lasting for days
And you searching for a man
With the lightest touch
To tuck you in
Before beginning
Another day

I envy the last man
You let dance with you
The last that you stopped
From passing you by

I find myself wondering
Who was your last laugh
And who you keep in your window glass
Before you fall asleep

I think of every man
Who's said goodnight
And I rightly grow to believe
That life may be a giant lottery
Where the things we truly want
We gain with destiny and luck

Like kissing your hand
Or tucking you in

Like making you feel safe
Or feeling your heart
While falling asleep

I envy the men
Whose memories you keep

As I envy the light
That each night enters your room
And grooms your body
As you drift away

I play it all out in my head
While in bed myself
A shelf full of poets
On a shelf to my right

And here's where I can close my eyes
And be the only man
Wishing you goodnight