My First And Last

School yards to smokey bars

All these shadows a long the wall

Wide eyed under endless skies

When ceilings seemed so tall

Erase and replace

I found a monster to call my own

Reflections trace a changing face

Regrets in flesh and bone

I've built this castle in sand

It becomes smaller with every grain

I've built this future with my hands

The silouhettes mark my gain

Suffocate this child and choke on the result

These seeds with no light

Blueprints of descent

It's etched in the past that we all know

Scarred chins and splitting shins

Caloused with fears that show

Erase and replace

I found a monster to call my own

Red crayons and open hands

I was taught by sticks and stones

Seperated but the kids still breathing

Somewhere in between

It's when our limbs they weigh us down

We retrace the seams

But under cold rain and hot air I once watched time stand still

I stepped back and smiled at the small shoes that I've filled