Fire Escape Inventory

The stairwell filled with sudden shouts We took the cat and made it out I stood barefoot beside the curb And watched the windows turn to blur You counted heads against the cold I counted things I couldn't hold Write our names above the numbers Hold the hands that gave us cover I can mourn what used to be And love the ones still here with me The room was closed for seven weeks We slept on friends' and cousins' sheets A photograph came back in spring Its edges curled, your face still clear Write our names above the numbers Hold the hands that gave us cover I can mourn what used to be And love the ones still here with me I miss the records, miss the chair I won't pretend they weren't my years But on the list I make tonight Your name comes first, then mine, alive Write our names above the numbers Hold the hands that gave us cover I can mourn what used to be And love the ones still here with me The cat sleeps heavy on my knees A borrowed room, the three of us