About a Ladder
by: W. Dire Wolff 1997

While your eyes cast down
Pretending not to notice
That I’m pretending not to stare
I captured in my imagination
Your name as it might fall from my lips
If I took the time to ask you
And then all the words that might follow
Then a thousand happy memories
Born in the afternoon sun
Where I woke to find you still sleeping
And listened to your heart softly beating
Without the pause to consider
The others that then would be bleeding
But, I woke to the music pounding
Snap to attention away from the DJ’s trance
Yeah, I got lost again in dance.

You’re up there dancing now
Maybe everyone is watching
The bass and the catcalls are distant
Breathless I fall under your spell
And we’re smiling
The room is pounding
They’re out there
And we’re in here
In our bubble
That dances in the smoke for a fraction
Popped by the stobe
So our hearts pound in slow mo
Eyes close
We lose each other again
Guide out of view
You’re back by your ladder
And someone is standing there with you
Oh yeah it doesn’t matter
I never said nothing to you
Just played it cool
Stood outside your circle
Fought my demons
You know, we all got our demons
And I hid my feelings
With a woman like you
Got to hide them deep
And pretend to be bit aloof
Afraid that you’ll come and stand by me
And ask some silly question
And then...
I might learn your name
Your name might fall from my lips
And then all the words that might follow
Then a thousand happy memories
Born in the afternoon sun
Where I might wake to find you still sleeping
And listen to your heart softly beating
Without the pause to consider
The others that then would be bleeding.