Imitation

(album: White Magnolias - 2023)

Crudely defined
I'm just a poser lost, impersonations
Of what a man should be
And of how a man should feel
I've tried
For seemingly now my entire life
To play a part
All posture aside
I pray for all those versions of myself
I've tried to be
For though they may seem obvious to you
I know that you could see through them all
But they were always real to me

You go ahead, I'll be right behind
I just need something to calm down my mind
Sometimes I wish you could
Hear all the thoughts that I cannot sing
That I could show you the wounds
Before they just start growing
That we could walk into the dark
Unafraid with our lanterns glowing
And see it for all that it is

Tear it apart
This man I am needs medicine
To wade through the dark
For this mannequin, this mess I'm in
This folding inside, stuck
In a stoic silence of a
Stubborn yet brittle mind

You go ahead, I'll be right behind
I just need something to calm down my mind
Sometimes I wish you could
Hear all the thoughts that I cannot sing
That I could show you the wounds
Before they just start growing
That we could walk into the dark
Unafraid with our lanterns glowing
And see it for all that it is