The Brambles

I feel lost, but never defeated
Bruised, but battling
Some days, all that comes out of my mouth is air
As that euphoria disappears once again
It feels like a finale, the end

I wander past army ads on bus shelters
Vape shops, lottery counters, lucky dipped
And I try to catch my reflection on a boarded up display
Yeah, I feel okay, but I'm tired of this struggle
These anxieties, this small talk

I lose track of the thread going around in my head
And I just need to stop and breathe
To recap, to feel at ease
I'm sure it'll come back to me, just wait a sec, please
But no, it's gone
Probably nothing, so let's move along

And I've walked this pavement before
I remember the wet concrete
And where trees once stood
The rose-tinted good
Long gone now, trampled upon
Plans for something shiny never appeared
As the future 'round here always seems to disappear

That fly killer light from the chip shop
Pours into the puddles outside
And it's not just my memory that hides
This loneliness
An edge that used to be smooth

I drag my limbs through that shift in the air
A discarded wheelie bin, smashed in shelter
The usual cliché of urban decay
The huff and puff of continuous dismay
Anchors to live and die by, that old-fashioned way

As suits scramble on a tightrope above, gluttonous, trough scoffed
Full of congrats, fleeing like rats
Leaving us with nothing but performative pride
And whatever we've got left inside
As sometimes you've just got to run and hide
You've just got to run and hide