We're So Close

I've lived in all of the houses he's built The one in the air The one underground The one on the water The one in the sand He says: It doesn't matter how we live He says: It doesn't matter where we live We're so close we can dispense with houses We don't need a home at all It's come to be a habit with me to dine alone You're never home And the evenings end so early He says: we can be close from afar He says: the closest people always are We're so close that in our separation, There's no distance at all. Sometimes I gout to the car, Turn on the headlights Intending to leave- Sometimes I need to hear the words, My imagination's not as strong as you'd believe- But I've talked to you; You haven't listened at all. I've said I'm numb, I can't even cry, I'm stuck with acting out a part. He says: what do words ever reveal? He says: in speaking one can be so false- We're so close we have a silent language, We don't need words at all. There's a husky voice That speaks to me in the dark And on the phone from studios And Westside bars, Through tunnels of long distance. He says: we're beyond flowers He says: We're beyond compliments- We're so close we can dispense with love We don't need love at all.