Static on the Runway

The kitchen light hums like a dying star

Half-drunk coffee in a chipped old jar

Bills folded tight like prayers in a pew

Every road I take bends back into you

There’s a crack in the ceiling I know by name

Like the weather inside me never really changed

Outside the traffic moves clean and fast

Inside I’m dragging anchors from the past

And the city keeps singing

“Just hold the line”

While the years disappear

One payment at a time

I’ve got static on the runway

Smoke behind my eyes

Trying to land this heavy heart

Before the engine dies

Everybody wants an answer

I just want a little peace

Somewhere between survival

And the version of me I used to be

Cold blue glow from a midnight screen

Learning systems for a machine

Funny how flying makes sense to me

More than the ground beneath my feet

The children sleep while the washing spins

I wear my tiredness under my skin

And all these ghosts in tailored clothes

Keep telling me that this is growth

But the mirror looks thinner

The soul looks worn

Like a house still standing

After years of storms

I’ve got static on the runway

Smoke behind my eyes

Trying to land this heavy heart

Before the engine dies

Everybody wants an answer

I just want a little peace

Somewhere between survival

And the version of me I used to be

Maybe tomorrow breaks softer

Maybe the tide comes in

Maybe the war isn’t losing

Just because I can’t win

So I lace my boots in silence

And step back into the rain

Still carrying all this weight

Still walking anyway