One day I sat thinking
About how things used to be.
‘bout how everything was fair
And how he still loved me
I remembered hours of laughter
And smiles all around
I remembered nights gone by
Without a single sound.
I remembered the greenest meadows
And fields of flowers bloomed.
I remembered perfect houses
With lawns and bushes groomed.
I remember thrilling races
Through inches of freezing rain
I remember screaming “I WIN!”
And then racing back again.
I remembered hugging my brother,
And telling him goodnight.
I remember his soft giggle,
And him saying with delight.
“It will be like this forever,
Just them and you and me.
We’ll run and play all day.
We’ll be happy, young and free.
Dad will come back soon, don’t miss him! He promised he’ll always be near.
If you ever wonder, momma said that he’s right here.”
He pointed to my little heart and said with a sort of sigh:
“She says that he is in your heart...but I think that’s a lie.”
And so I lost my brother…
‘cause he doesn't know the truth.
He’s become a different person.
A cold-hearted, angry fool.
I never see that smile that used to make my day.
He’s buried it down deep, and hidden it away.
And that day that I remembered, the tears streamed down my face.
And I wished will all my heart,
That we could go back to the memory place.

The girl was scared of puddles
And she was scared of rain
Every time the thunder clapped
She raced back inside again

She was given beautiful umbrellas
And coats of waterproof silk
But still she sat inside
And read on the window sill

As she grew the rain poured harder
And the girl cowered away
She hid behind her mother’s back;
She never ran to play

She was afraid of what the droplets were
So she sat and watched them gather
She still refused to step outside
And so she grew ever sadder

People came along
And people quickly left
They found the girls odd cowardice;
The way she counted every breath

There came a day when it was too late
And the girl was forced outside
She was lost without her silken coats
And with no place that she could hide

The girl was chilled clean through to bone
And her shy life came to an end
In her silken coats she reached the gates
And the golden stairs she did ascend.

In God’s own home she lay down her fears
And she swore that she’d be brave.
For there there are no window sills
And no pouring rain or hate.

Saint Peter smiled and praised her,
The girl who’d been inside,
And Saint Peter whispered truthfully
As he watched the young girl cry:

“Now, girl who’s scared of puddles,
And girl who’s scared of rain,
Did you ever think that when the thunder claps
It doesn’t have to mean your pain?”

“There’s others out there, like you
Who have suffered just as much
Yet they stay strong and they pull through
And they do not lose touch.

“I’ve been here always to protect you,
And that will never change.
So when you’re scared next just think of that,
And stand to face the rain.”

You must learn to love the puddles
And embrace the freezing drops
Dance under the thunderclouds
Until the lightning stops

Behind the noise and glued-on smiles
Hides the pain of one well-known
She knows that if she leads they’ll follow
But with feet dragging; heads hung low

They say they love her-
Their words are hollow
All they whisper is too loud
Their bitter words she’d make them swallow
If she could find their faces in the crowd

Cold the eyes of one well-known
Grow through months of blame and pain
Silent stays the one they’d follow
Soon they all call out her name

They need a path that has been trod,
For their weakness holds them back
Burdened with jealousy, heavy clad
Their anger turns their hearts to black

Hidden stays the one their hollow
Words tore open every day
She holds it in until she shatters
But they never thought that she would break

The game they play is one of whispers,
And jokes and sneers and jives
What they fail to see is that those whispers
Are seen true for not but foolish lies

She stands tall when she’s around them
Though every night tears soak her sheets
She wants to run or hide or hurt them
But to stoop so low, that is defeat

So inside she holds the pain and sorrow
And all the doubts that no one sees
And all the ones who have to follow
Cannot tell that she can’t breath

Buried in the lies and whispers
Is the heart of one well known
Soon all her friends begin to miss her
As she slips away from them-alone

She’s missing now
They couldn’t follow
To the place she’d gone at last
Their bitter words they had swallowed
And they wished they could rewind the past

When the sun goes down
And the stars come out to play
Something horrible lies, lurking,
At the edge of day

When the sun goes down
And disappears beyond the trees
You can hear their evil whispers
Being carried by the breeze

When the sun goes down
And all the children are inside
All the shadows creep away
From all the places that they hide

For when the sun goes down
The temperature--it drops
And every single conversation;
Every whispered story stops

And every single person
stops and turns to face
the shadows known as darkness
Creeping out from their hiding place

Sweat glistens on her brow
She’s ready
The sun shines behind her head
She’s ready
Her shadow dances on the track
She’s ready
Her teammates’ eyes are on her back
She’s ready
The starter’s arm brings up the gun
She’s ready
Her muscles loose; prepared to run
She’s ready
She hears a whisper to her right
She’s ready
The gun goes off with blinding light
She’s ready
Nothing at all can stop her now
She’s ready
Blood slips slowly down her brow
She’s ready
She breaks the ribbon; wins the race
She’s ready
A reddened mask covers her face
She’s ready
The starting gun had shot no blank
She’s ready
The crowd’s cheers died and their hearts sank
She’s ready
The finish line is painted white
She’s ready
The runner lives until that night