I read every date on Market Street,
Every name etched into stone,
You checked the light, fixed your smile,
Already half-way back home.
I talked of voices, ink, and dust,
Of fights that shaped this place,
You asked if the post would do better
If we cropped out my face.
They built this town on liberty,
On standing up, standing tall,
But freedom’s just a word you learn
When you don’t fit in at all.
I’m digging through the past for truth,
You’re chasing something fast,
Philadelphia taught me this:
Some hearts outgrow the past.
At the Liberty Bell I stood still,
Felt the silence, felt the crack,
You sighed and said, “Is this it?”
Already scrolling back.
You came here just to quiet me,
To humor my history phase,
I should’ve known from the first day out
We were wired in different ways.
They built this town on liberty,
On standing up, standing tall,
But freedom’s just a word you learn
When you don’t fit in at all.
I’m looking for meaning carved in time,
You’re counting hearts and stats,
Philadelphia taught me this:
Some loves don’t overlap.
By the river under city lights,
You finally said it plain,
“You feel deeper than I do,
And I’m tired of pretending.”
I said, “You’re right, I saw it too,
Just didn’t want it to be true,”
We broke it off where history began
And walked our separate ways.
They built this town on liberty,
On knowing when to part,
But freedom’s just a word you learn
When you don’t fit in at all.
I don’t need you to understand
The things that pull me past,
Philadelphia taught me this:
Some loves are meant to pass.
Kaimanguy
