Jeannine Hall Gailey - Crane Wife lyrics

My husband, you have forgotten how many bolts of cloth I wove for you, the children I bore you, the nights I lay by your side to warm you. When you were poor, you gave all you had to buy the life of a white crane. You loved her then. And when I came to you dressed in white, you did not recognize me. You agreed to be my husband, and all I asked was for you not to look at me bathing, when my true nature might be revealed. (You would wake up with feathered remnants on your hands and face, rinsing them with cold water. Was this a dream, you wondered.) You have asked for more, you have opened the closet door; I flew away, a crane who had given you her white glory, and you knew the cloth to be the sacrifice of my own skin, my feather coat. A thousand cranes descended on your hut, crying with betrayal. You searched all of Japan for me until you found a lake of cranes, those white ciphers, cried your goodbyes, useless, now, with age. You had the gift of my wings, knew the lift of flight and the gentle neck. Now, old man, remember, when you watch a flash in the sky, remember me, remember