You Used To Preach Love

You used to preach love

For advice

When you heard about the pain in our lives

Whatever was wrong

Could be solved

With a bit of empathy, kindness and resolve

Simple as that

Black and white

Stay out the dark and you’ll always be alright

And you never caved in

From your stance

Couldn’t care less about our own circumstance

Stubborn yet warm

Smile bright

Tried your best to recalibrate our sight

For there’s only one path

Towards the light

And even if you’re wrong we all hoped you were right

Few years past since we’ve crossed paths

And the way you’ve grown, left all us aghast

For now you preach hate

To us all

And we don’t know what it was that made you fall

So depressing to see

You’ve gone cold

Sharing all the propagated hate you’ve been sold

Like a good boy

As you lust

For praise from those who all watch you in disgust

Nothing more than an ad

That they bought

And you can’t wait to tell us all the lies they want

We all hope you will return

Reconnect the light and maybe you’ll learn

You used to preach love

It will only get worse

Can’t you see?

You’re exactly where they want you to be

Addicted to hate

That’s the game

Now they have no trouble telling you who's to blame

While they tell you you’re free!

Such a lie

Since everything you’ll do, from now on, they’ve prescribed

Embarrassing shell

Who we knew

Just another sacrifice for the chosen few

Who know that this works

Towards their end

Decimating lives while pretending they’re your friend

And their final request

Before you die

Is to say the ones who destroyed you with their lies

Are the ones who preach love

First Snow

Forever and Ever

One of the Good Ones

If people are terrible in a terrible world

How is it that you are one of the good ones?

Your flaws divine tests for a self-righteous servant

But when others are flawed, it’s because they deserve it

(Because they deserve it)

You give all you’re told, to those who won’t help us

And don't you dare stop to audit what matters

Don’t know how this works, you’ve been trained to ignore it

As long as your safe, our lives aren't important

This is the moment that we all will never remember at all

When they inquire just what happened

And why we didn't defend her at all

The easiest path, you pretend is the right one

In a world overflowing with solvable problems

That’ll either fix themselves, or if not, they were fated

If it’s all in the plan, who are you to debate it?

But you know you'll never pay, just another exemption

For you truly earned everything you stole from the others

It's the future who inherits all the pain from your actions

And you know you'll be gone before the worst of it happens

This is the moment that we all will never remember at all

When they inquire just what happened

And why we didn't defend her at all

Remember When

Remember when

You said that you had enough

Gave up the pursuit of love

And all the magic left

And in return

You thought you would see things clear

Unbound by those hopes and fears

To contemplate what's next

But what you found

Was that there was nothing left to look for

And the prize for your newly-found perspective

No directive

And when you lost guidance apathy crept in

Too strong 

You could no longer

Hear the thoughts that told you life's worth living

You tried to fast forward all the lows and highs

Why fake it like the others when their lives

Were all lies

Remember when

You said that you had enough

Stood up, vowed to toughen up

And chose to live again

And in return

With time, got your life on track 

Ashamed to remember back

Of who you were back then

But now today

You know just how much you've actually grown

Though you also know just how close you came to never

Getting better

Smile, you made it

Past all those times that you hated

Forever please remember just how fragile we can be

And if, if tomorrow

You find you’re falling again into sorrow

Now know that you will bounce back, whenever it may be

Undeserved

You Weren’t Alone

Trying to

Write some thoughts about you

Could’ve kept it vague, but I really don’t want to

Not this time

And before you whine

Telling me that I'm wasting all my time

On a worthless topic that no one wants to hear

You'd hate it so much, you'd want to disappear

OK fine

Let's make it about them

The person you designed who could stand the attention 

A stronger side

That you used to hide

All the crushing anxiety inside

Fake persona you thought that they all wanted more

You never tricked us, we knew who you always were

And you'd never accept, that was who we all adored

Answer your call

Say you're heading out east this upcoming fall

First time in awhile, but time doesn't matter

We're back in an instant, you never left at all

As soon as you're here

Rush outside with two beers

Cheers

Can't wait to hear

All the stories you've picked up these years

Once the sun has gone down

We can barely stand up, but we make it downtown

No luck meeting women, but that never mattered

We're fine getting wasted, laughing more with every round

Back at home we appear

We crack open more beers

Cheers

We order a pizza, try to stay awake 'til it's here

It's here

Passing out

Notice you turning over

Smile dissolves and you strangely turn sober

Through the tears

Tell me of your fears

Of abuse that you suffered all these years

You could only tell me once you completely drank away

That person you built to keep the pain at bay

Your eyes close

But I hope you still hear me

I still can't believe you were hurt so severely 

You need to know

That before you go

On the road, to adventures on your own

You're one of the best friends that I have ever known

And I wish I did more to make you know you weren't alone