Apple 2/27/03 L. Fiorentino

As tall as an orange, as short as the sea
As tasty as a nightmare, as sane as sane can be
As loud as the slightest touch, as brave as a spoon
As wide as a cottonwood, as brazen as an afternoon
As sure as tenderness, when you’re frightened as the sun
As warm as the certainty you’re not the only one
As sound as a star, as big as a bone
Flailing seems to be at times, as funny as a stone
As time is but a wrinkle, as pretty as a tree
As long as you can stay awake you’ll not lose sight of me
For there’s a river that’s worn a trail and made a canyon where it flows
Overturning every rock making certain each suppose
As soft as a shoulder, as long as a road
Carries every conscience that never knew a load
As sweet as a swallow, as aloof as a pool
As careful as the cutting edge, as pointed as a fool
As fat as a finding, as shallow as a bug
As neat as a hurricane, as timid as a thug
As silent as hope, as sticky as a speech
As soon as I can get there, as violent as a beach
As sleepy as a jailbird, as spunky as a nail
As haunted as a muffin, as blind as a sail
As language is a puzzle when it doesn’t make a sound
As if I have not been lost, and therefore can’t be found
So you can take as long as you want, as time alone will sell
Your feathers will not make a sound when struck against my bell
As soon as things stop spinning, as before’s the same as soon
As the stairway leads to heaven as the piper calls the tune
As ignorant as an island, as helpless as a shark
As shiny as a jellybean, as sacred as a spark
As petty as a poet, as thoughtful as a thief
As sad as sand in an hourglass, as radiant as grief
As if man were made with much to give and woman had the space
As if love knew only how to leave and leave nothing in its place
As weary as a watch, as wiggly as a war
A-ticking and a-talking like bare feet begging for a floor
As if someone will notice, there’s always been enough
It will never be as bad as bushwhacking in the buff
As if gravity tired of its pulling, as if it had all it could take
And heaven bolted up the door just for heaven’s sake
As a magnet loves its iron and hates its own desire
As smoke is smitten by the glow, and hates the flaming liar
As I could never help you without holding you down
As you would never want me to, as if you owned this town
As we mentioned the day we met, as if we always knew
We’d never be a couple, we’d always be a few
As sure as there’s no story, as sure as there’s no word
As sure as there’s one secret, there’s sure to be a third
If you can stick it in, there’s always been a hole
And down there at the top, sits the center of the soul
As sharp as a shield, As useless as a blade
As skilled as a child, As bright as a shade
As needy as nature, as clean as a baboon
As heavy as a heart, as busy as the moon
As perfect as a plan, as friendly as a foot
As tight as a grip where promises are put
As far as you can see, as far as we will go
As far as I can tell, no one will ever know
I used to be an angel, an angel is a seed
Like an apple born knowing all it will ever need