Ash Teeth
Grind the ash teeth
till the sparks fly high
burn the ceiling black
against the sky
Spit the swallowed words
into the mic
let the feedback hit them
like a strike
Purple light on alleys
slick with rain
dumpsters leaning over
in the pain
Sirens screaming distance
in the pitch
city lungs are scratching
like an itch
Called a problem
ticking like a bomb
shoved in rooms
to keep the spirit calm
tried to clip the tongue
and force the rest
pretending fire
is put to the test
Throat is carrying
the sanding grain
chords are scraped
by every single stain
Dragging jagged cases
through the wet
handle wrapped in tape
and heavy debt
Every riff a finger in the face
every kick a fist
shaking up the place
trained me for the quiet
and the still
I trained in secret
for the heavy kill
Knuckles hold the memory
of the fight
just to make it home
inside the night
Basement smells of sweat
and cheapest beer
bodies pressed together
in the fear
No walls between us
only hands on skin
singing lines
and letting it begin
See the haunted focus
in the eyes
kids who act much older
than their size
meeting in the concrete
in the dark
trading old injuries
for a spark
We aren’t healed
just loud and broken down
ribs rattling
inside the town
One day hands will shake
and knees will crack
hauling cabinets
and never looking back
Better to burn out
in honest heat
than fade away
upon the quiet street
Songs won’t pay the rent
or buy the bread
but they paid for the soul
inside the head
When the note is hanging
in the air
we pack the gear
with a sudden care
Sore and wired
stepping in the chill
knowing that we bent
the world to will