Down Around Me

I live in the eyes of others

Tiny little mirrors that

Reflect the smile of a liar

The dilated eyes of

An addict, transmitting emptiness

Across this desert, where the air is heavy and

The horizon is a kiss between

Heaven and the dirt

And every grain of sand is

Another fragmented soul

Awaiting ascension as

The world around them crumbles

I give in to the lies of lovers

Tiny little untruths that

Allow me to deny the other

Side of a smiling mask

An actress, performing for her audience;

This empty theatre, where the applause comes slow and low

From backstage, and the roses that we throw

Are all stem and thorn

The words we've always known

Now laced with contempt and scorn

And her bad review becomes

My cue to close the curtains

On another rainless night where

We're all umbrella'd by our diversions

To protect us from a sky

That never sheds a tear

To cover up the lies

We spread from ear to ear

But something is missing

Some secret damage hidden

Beneath our stone facades

Some lonely nerve ending

Winces in pain whenever

The sun chases her away

So we're pouring shots at

Four in the morning

Toasting each one to

Whichever star that kept us going

And when daylight comes

We'll be sleeping

And when reality comes

We'll be dreaming

To protect us from a life

That kept us from truly

Living.