From The Ground Up

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how it all went wrong
Digging and digging until I finally found the right song
But it always ends with a blank ceiling and a soft pillow
Go ahead and add another line to the tally

Sometimes I’ll stare at a book and forget how to read
I tell myself an imagination is all I need
And I’ll send my thoughts into the pages
Before slamming them shut so they’re finally quiet

If you ask me a question I might not reply
And if you ask it again one of us will probably cry
At the end of the day we just wanted to try
I just wanted to try

Sometimes my body is overcome with a chill
Maybe it’s a sign of free will
For a moment it feels alright
And for a moment it feels okay
If only this arm around me would stay

Clarity can be hard but not like a rock
You can throw that away or skip it down a stream
This one finds a home in your back pocket
And is washed away on laundry day before it can be found

I used to love the way the sun said good morning
I probably still do
But it’s one of the small things in this life
That has been buried under
Sitting and enjoying the silence was an eighth wonder

The moments frozen in time like to make house calls
Begging me to introduce them to each other
And the perspective always comes from me but never my own eyes
They’re scenes for a feature film that will never hit the big screen
A never-ending trailer in a theatre for one
And that butters my popcorn just fine

I keep winning the lottery without buying a ticket
Cash my winnings and return to the parking lot
Every space is empty except for two
One is me and one is you
Whatever you are
We’ll grow from the ground up

We’ll grow from the ground up because
They say if you live in the past you die every day
But if I make it through this fire
Maybe the flames will burn away the mask I’ve always seen
I’m just so tired of every day being Halloween.