salmon’s melodies

ring-ring, hello?

[salmon-thing]

Roots 🎡

I took a pill,

Didn’t make me feel better,

So I willed myself to, yeah.

I had no thrills,

Couldn’t make me laugh better,

So I willed myself to, yeah.

When it’s not enough, road’s getting tough,

I lie down and remember…

When I’m not enough, roots to the rough,

I look up and remember…

One day I may be.

[salmon-thing]

Stomachache 🛣️

Stomachache, shoulders shake,

Overcast, over the hills,

My head aches, driving fast,

On the highway, can’t stay still!

Take off my bandanna,

And tie it around my neck,

Keep me in check,

Keep me in check!

Stomachache, hit the brakes,

Out of mind and out of time,

My heart aches, driving bad,

Interstate may make us late!

My inner state’s on the interstate.

Take off my bandanna,

And tie it around my neck,

Check in on me,

Check in on me!

[salmon-thing]

Move On 🚪

What about us,

The glass in our rib cages,

When we move on,

Is it scattered through boxes,

Will you hold us,

Or get stuck in the back door?

[salmon-thing]

Covers 🦷

Try to make meaning,

Lick the back of my tooth,

Shuffle under my covers,

But there’s no meaning to be made.

Been flossing, cleaning,

Something’s behind my tooth,

Hiding under my covers,

I dreamt about mistakes I’ve made.

It’s hot in here,

The weather’s clear,

But it’s too hot,

And there’s no meaning to be made.

[salmon-thing]

Low ⏳

Break it up and break it low,

Lately, my brain’s been in tow,

Can’t get my thoughts to slow, no,

Oh oh oh, three in a row.

Break it down and make me go,

Stars lie in the back, in tow,

So slingshot them back, please, please,

I’m down here, low, on my knees!

I can’t get any lower,

You’ve got the power,

Shoot out my sour, dour!

Ow, ow, oh!

I can’t get any lower,

You’ve got the power,

Make up a new hour!

Throw the hourglass to the sea…

Break it up and break it low,

Lately, my brain’s been in tow,

Can’t get my thoughts to slow, no,

Oh oh oh, three in a row.

[salmon-thing]

Socket 🔫

Someone said something nice to me,

But I don’t know where to put it,

Guess I’ll put it behind my eye socket?

Someone said something mean to me,

But I don’t know where to put it,

Guess I’ll put it behind the wall socket?

“Ouch!”

Watch where you aim that BB gun,

Poke an eye out, having such fun,

And watch where you aim your elbow,

It can hurt, it can break, can make,

Another socket I never did want!

(“Jeez, man, I’m sorry!”)

[salmon-thing]

Cotton Ball ☁️

Breathe in and breathe in,

And smell the citrus,

Make a fuss about the dust,

And breathe out.

Look in and look in,

And feel the pillows,

Take the time, hear the wind chime,

And walk out.

To be soft, stay aloft,

In a matter of weeks,

What he said had hurt me,

Look at the sky, cloud streaks,

Look at my wrist, vein streaks,

Look at the time, I’m weak.

… Breathe in and breathe out.

[salmon-thing]

Itch Boy 🗣️

I hate it when we yell,

We demonstrated,

We cannot tell, no,

We circumvented,

And I’m so sorry.

“So sorry…”

Itch boy, itching my brain,

Scarlet sky, suit and tie,

Please stay, please stay!

Itch boy, itching my heart,

Midnight sky, eye to eye,

Just one more day!

Keep itching at me,

Keep itching at me…

[salmon-thing]

Thank You 🕷️

The spider says to the flower…

“Thank you, for holding me,”

“Keeping my heart fragrant,”

“My will to be.”

“Thank you, I have a home,”

“I won’t wander, stagnant,”

“Love may go roam.”

Isn’t nature so beautiful?

[salmon-thing]

‘Round and ‘Round 🪰

Capture a moment in my eye,

See a housefly whizzing on by,

Feeling its small face,

Didn’t know better,

But look outside, rainy weather.

Capture a season in my house,

It’s cold in here, catching a mouse,

Snaggletooth feline,

Didn’t know better,

But look aside, there is a louse.

Well, it ain’t all so good,

And so we all sigh ‘round and ‘round,

Our fence is coming down,

Paint a picture of our downtown.

I held an apple out,

Let’s see what rots inside.

Our teeth are decaying,

And so we all sigh ‘round and ‘round,

We crawl, our eyes look down,

And so we pass the stale air ‘round.

[salmon-thing]

Haunt 🪾

I tell myself they’re unaware,

I tell myself they don’t look at me,

I tell myself they do not care,

But it’s their tone of voice that I see,

Not what I want, cursed with a haunt,

It’s not fair that I’m hyper-aware,

I scratch at the back of my neck,

It’s not fair that they aren’t all there,

I try to keep my tongue in check.

[salmon-thing]

Haircut ✂️

Get out of my head with you,

Get out of my head for you.

(“Snip, snip!”)

Get out of my head with you,

Get out of my head for you.

Nights alone give me the ick,

Swirls above making me sick,

Bones are made of rocks and sticks…

(“The exit is over here!”)

Bedtime alone makes me sad,

Toss a pebble, ain’t so bad,

Down the lake, don’t make me mad…

Stressed in bed again,

Now I have no hair,

Stressed in bed, past ten,

Yes, I have no hair.

[salmon-thing]

Flax Flowers 💐

Lazing in the dahlias,

Wind caught me, I laugh, because,

Sunny sky, I knew it was,

To be alive…

(“Pick a petal.”)

Lazing in the rosemary,

Wind caught me, but won’t carry,

Cloudless sky, I’m so merry,

To be alive…

(“Pick a petal.”)

Lazing in the flax flowers,

Storm caught me, I stay for hours,

Darkened sky, but I’m not sour,

You’re at my side…

(“The last petal.”)

[salmon-thing]

Sleeping End 💤

Woke up from a dream,

Stopwatch on my mind,

“Go ahead, cry me a river.”

Pillow’s losing seams,

Watch me lose my mind,

“Go ahead, jump in the river.”

Weighted blanket doesn’t work anymore,

Try to drown me in my own warmth,

Try to stitch a solution together,

I’m trying to learn…

If everything’s good, then everything’s bad,

I might be glad if I was truly mad,

On the other end of the phone.

If everyone’s good, then everyone’s bad,

I’m walking on thin ice, no, can’t play nice,

On the sleeping end of the throne.

I didn’t mean to complicate,

No, someone please reciprocate!

[salmon-thing]

Injection 💉

When they inject me,

With how they feel,

There’s cogs and wheels,

Interpret that.

When they reject what,

I say I feel,

There’s smog and fret,

Interpret me.

I don’t mean to deny it,

I said that I would try it,

I didn’t really want to,

Injection of behavior…

I’m infected.

[salmon-thing]

Midnight Sweet Treat 🧁

Following with my bite,

I step out into the midnight,

And for a while, and for a while,

I’m alright, I’m alright.

Confetti on my tongue,

Cupcake, mind shake, a sugar break,

And for a while, and for a while,

I’m still young, I’m still young.

When it’s dark, don’t sweat it,

Midnight sweet treat, won’t regret it!

[salmon-thing]

My Cookie Heart 💝

My cookie heart is very tart,

Over bake it, it falls apart,

“Hahaha!”

Overtake it, try to be smart,

Over plate it, break Cupid’s dart,

“Hahaha!”

And when you’re cooking with Bakelite,

“Cheap plastic!”

It drifts straight into erratics,

“Fantastic?!”

My heartbeat skips into static!

“Thump, thump, ooh!”

“Ding!”