love minus zero

turtles, the

my love

she speaks like silence

without ideals or violence

she doesn't have to say she's faithful

yet she's true like ice

like fire

people carry roses

and make promises by the hours

my love

she laughs like the flowers

valentines can't buy her

the bridge at midnight trembles

the country doctor rambles

banker's nieces seek perfection

expecting all the gifts that wise men bring

the wind howls like a hammer

and the night blows rainy

my love

she's like some raven

at my window with a broken wing

in the dime stores and bus stations

people talk of situations

read books

repeat quotations

draw conclusions on the wall

some speak of the future

my love

she speaks softly

she knows there's no success like failure

and that failure's no success at all