Shame that blisters hardened skin

Bubbles to the surface from the past

Cracks beneath the crippled sun

Oily slicks where I once won

 

Cicada chorus across abandoned fields

Rusty swing sets in a whispered breeze

 

A symphony

Of all the failures that measure me

 

Shame that rises up in the throat

Choke down every lie I ever spoke

Red-hot iron brands me deep inside

Scarring everything that used to be

 

Distant ship’s siren across an empty harbor

Doors creaking on ancient hinges

 

A symphony

Of all the failures that measure me

 

Shame that pricks the back of the eyes

Tears of shame metastasize

Stream down my face and down my chest

Shame breaks my back and breaks my legs

 

Cartographer’s tool scrapes away the flesh

Screams of mapping bend the memories

 

A symphony

Of all the failures that measure me

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