First air of autumn up your nose popcorn, heavy hairspray, nylon pantyhose please stand and bow your heads and pray you don’t get old The nurture and the admonition of your kind the rules of only strong survive Cross shaped swimming pools, down in the blood and lifted up forever seeking favor from the light Schoolhouse hallway like a prairie highway sprawls the drop off spins away the sun The getting there just proves it’s nothing but a ball Pray the horizon never comes The hearts of the daughters of the men, Won by the softness of the sons of women’s hands To leave it up to love would leave it left to chance Memory only shows the promise beauty broke of beauty ageless in it’s time Light attracts the same, you glance away and the glory fades and being on your arm has lost it’s shine School house hallway like a prairie highway sprawls The drop off spins away the sun Like eyes that once could cut through candle power on autumn nights First air of autumn leaves me numb