The Prescience of Dawn

The sirens woke me up again
I know they're coming for me someday, just a matter of when
Count to 25 and yawn
Touch the clock and turn my back against the dawn

And hope for that one dream
Of hardware stores with checkered floors
And buckets full of nails

Or floating effortless
Over the apartments in a boat
And rowing past the office windows

Mother, mother, may I cry?
Father, will you teach me how to die the right way someday?
I don't want a second chance
To turn my stuttering reluctance into romance

With these documents
And kindergarten anthems with my drunken liturgies
Tune the FM into static and pretend that it's the sea

But four words fumble for the microphone
"You should have known"

"You should have known"