Cleveland Poem by Julian Takali

April days usually teem a candles flame
But with you, they flood the wax with rain
Ohio nights know their way around trouble
But with you, they cant breath from the puddle

We are broken glass, you the hammer and I the rubble
We together are a ripple in a lake not so subtle

Because the taste of my nails has gone dull
And the sound of the rain beats down my skull
From knowing that you've moved away
From Cleveland, from us and from that day
When you slammed the door in my way
When the rain choked the amber April day
Was the last time I'd get to see your face

I still read the newspaper report every night before sleep
My mind cannot slumber, my mind is in too deep
In the waters of yesterday, of that weary day
I remember it all, you Ohio bird
Now you're above all the tar and dust
You are the cosmos and you are my trust
That after the dye fades away
The bloody shirt they gave me
Will be used again someday (Happy Birthday)