of course there was much confusion at the river

of course there was much confusion at the river

trading words of penance for the remission of sin

we saw it from atop the terrace hotel

and through every nonsense

and under the incantation of a full moon

i lost my best lies to you right on the gaming table

fatuous and warped by the numbers

dizzy at the sight of revolving angels

_and with feathers in our drinks_

before a wild crowd who cheered the mighty engines

pulling emotionless spinning their giant wheels

as the days meandered away with each other spells

showing you immodestly wanting to be mine

as I was yours plenty and always

with guitars sounding like bells ready

to usher our way into the whirlwind of being in love

and ring our hearts in tune with our darling songs

in a way we could not convey to any of the present

though some said they understood the drill

so we went on becoming with the feeling

that no one knew the right words nor the way out

we sat there holding hands moist under the table

and saw the numbers blurred on the wheel

signs beyond recognition held us still

and then and there we bared our telling phrases

like litanies of tall tale bits their meaning

uncertain fitful to ourselves