to rise, look up

i was asked to carry one more child in grief

my no said no in absolute terms

my mouth paid to say yes, said a qualified yes

with a decision of refusal landing in finality

eagle aspirations, falling among frantic mice

leadership can be extraction or trust

but a toxic structure will force the forcing

i am just one, joining harried herd

when we leave, we say not me, not here, not now

abandoning our hopes with those relying on them

where hope falls, it fails once more the hopeless

propping up false hope with extravagance

i am consumed by making the vision

unless others rise, but they rise in their own time

in the meantime, my miracle becomes mirage

we all fall, but also find personal paths of strength

you are strong beyond your time, beyond belief

i want to be an adult who builds a place for you

to rest, become new, build bright energy in light

to sustain your darkness, your uneven share

but i am also a child confined by careless men

cutting lifelines, revelling in the power not to care

by comparative charts, by timelines, losses, lies

you are a precious presence i can’t sustain

while sustaining my own

love given in songs, becomes dissonant

so i will sing to the sky after saying goodbye

i am only one, you will be caught by another