house of lions, cave of killers
pacts in blood, souls signed over
give me pardon, pass me up
cast me from a towering throne
turn my back on a kingdom
hardly valued more than bones
built on turned coin
the backs of its people
little more than dust

My mistakes are unintentional
But I then commit
And my recovery is deliberate

Snow cloaks the ground, lies coat the truth
lights on the front porch, tomorrow's forecast is dim
here we can pretend that I understand
what it is you mean as you say
don't wait up for tonight, or the nights that follow next
or even future days
the weather won't stop changing
and my life's written in seasons
of ever turning, never-ending
snowy revelations
where I'll put together pieces
set aside the springs
before I cast out, no,
catch my every fall

Here we are, a new match
Going head to head
New opponent
Same arena
Fists long gone
The bruises stay
Knocked down in the second round
Sucker punched
Testing combos
Left hooked
In the chest
Oxygen deprived
Land another hit
Create the only stars I see
Men, they fall
Make contact
With the mat, maybe
Wrap my hands
And this story
Let's see how long I last

losing grip in this relationship
we've covered a lot of ground for a pair that lacks traction
heat, sure, we're made of nothing but friction