The Last Song

Streetlights blur in faded gold,

Hands at ten and two, too tired to hold

Another conversation with my mind,

So I let the radio decide.

There’s fast food bags on the passenger side,

Dashboard glowing in the quiet,

This town looks softer after dark,

Like nobody knows who you are.

⸻

I missed my turn about a mile ago,

But I keep driving slow…

⸻

’Cause it’s the last song on the drive home,

And I’m not ready to be alone yet,

Not ready for the silence in my room,

Or the weight of another midnight.

So I circle blocks I know by heart,

Let the music cover up the dark,

Just a few more minutes before real life

Comes rushing back in.

With the last song on the drive home.

⸻

There’s a couple laughing at a red light,

Someone walking underneath neon signs,

Everybody headed somewhere warm,

While I keep chasing one more chorus.

And it’s strange how a melody

Can hold together what’s left of me,

Like if the song keeps playing on,

Nothing’s really wrong.

⸻

The singer’s voice cracks near the end,

And somehow mine almost does too.

⸻

It’s the last song on the drive home,

And I’m not ready to let go yet,

Not ready for the empty apartment

Waiting at the top of the stairs.

So I drive a little past my street,

Just to stay somewhere in-between,

Where the world feels softer than it is

For four more minutes.

In the last song on the drive home.

⸻

Maybe everybody does this sometimes,

Sits in parked cars trying to outrun their life,

Watching headlights pass like shooting stars

They’re too tired to wish on.

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The song fades out…

And suddenly the car feels small.

⸻

It was the last song on the drive home,

And somehow that was enough tonight,

To remind me I’m still here breathing

Even when it all feels heavy.

I cut the engine, sit awhile,

Morning creeping at the edges now,

Then finally step out into the dark

Without another song to hide behind

After the last song on the drive home