When the lights come on I'll have been awake for hours A thin film of sweat on my skin Partial lists of pink dawn reflections clogging my mind But no progress and another dead kid in my feed More words screamed about Life After Money But it's fuzzy, still unclear how far a voice can really reach I'm watching each contender surrender whatever They say "I don't even care! I just want to feel better!" You talk about your enemies, that doesn't really interest me I'm grateful just to be considered As possibly something more than just A cloud of distressed emotions A custodian of regular feelings So much of the time I am speculation, snark and argument But that "Dirty Boots" video from when I was a kid I still remember trusting it And I saw an unbroken world where everything was explained And the people survived Everyone was alive And everyone kissed and every kiss was forgotten Seconds after it happened Everyone was swimming Everyone was in love and nobody cared In my dreams I get visits from every beautiful being who's ever Left me They kiss my face, they tell me they miss me, they love me They want to protect me I say "I miss you, too!! I'm trying to be something better for You." I'm trying to scratch through to the immaculate core That gets hidden in the center of all these regular feelings All those regular feelings All those laundromat feelings All those grocery store feelings All those canker sore feelings All those overdraft feelings Second place feelings You're just like anyone else feelings All those regular feelings All those internet feelings All those angry dad feelings All those White Castle feelings All those left behind feelings Those student loan feelings Those D.U.I. feelings The phones-about-to-die feelings Unpopular feelings Your UTI feelings Those bus station feelings