my city

more than 16 years, i spent
treading cracked sidewalks
dreams extending to the skylines
invisible to mortal eyes

small city girl
lying on carpets of dried grass,
sticks uncomfortably in my back
and the absence of stars

beige and gray and green
or, rather, the absence of green
painted with artificial and the close-knitted community
(wait – i didn’t even know my neighbors’ names)

but the dreamer wishes to be the stars
i can’t see, blind i’ll stumble forward
but i see what can be
and i’ll tumble through space only to return

to the modest homes and home-cooked meals
cracked hearts and broken vases
artificial green and invisible stars
the smell of nothing in the air

nothing in the air
i wish to become something
more than the air
stagnated

and this city with enclosed gates
invisible to their eyes
can’t hold me in, i’ll break out
you’ll see me fly

the dreams of fame
the youth are ridiculed
but i reach for those invisible
stars light the night

unknown i’ll tread carefully
the city of mountains at the foot
i’ll climb up to the peaks
i’ll conquer the wind and snow

you won’t know me as i climb
you’ll see only the small city girl
who saw only darkness
and painted the stars

and in the end, i’ll foretell
the future calls me back to my city
where i’ll lay on my back again
and see those invisible stars

golden lights will pull me away
and i’ll dream of unseen skylines
that i finally saw
but i’ll always return