My soda went flat in its bottle
It tasted like the air, sticky and thick
The heat from the lighter only added to the warmth of the night
A chorus of cars driving past
Joined by the cacophony of a too full balcony
Muffled shouts from the interior
Garlic wafting up through the windows
aimlessly scrolling
This times like these
I'm reminded what home is

My name sounds so pretty on your lips
I'm begging you
We have all the time in the world
So I don't think you'd mind
If I stole one more
Just for the road
Just to get me home
Just so you know
That I need you to catch me

Surely you heard
The stream babbling about us
The trees whispering amongst the wind
And the leaves crunching under our careful steps
The squirrels and turtles
Veering everyone away from us
I'll be sure to play this cassette back

Perhaps
The gentle sigh of the wind in the trees
The giggle of the mermaids that live in the stream
The happy and casual conversation between birds floating high above
Every rock's jagged surface, laced with soft moss and dew
And bittersweet candy that lingers on my lips and fingers
Perhaps
These are good things.

I wonder quite often
If it's like feeling sunshine on your arms and legs
After being slowly frozen
While being taught white history
If it's like putting on traditional clothes
And strutting proudly around town
If it's like cool water
Tickling your scalp
After this week's hottest day of the century
Is it the feeling you get when you've finally got new tires
And 65 down the toll road late at night
Feels just as smooth as the bass rumbling in your spine
Is it the same as letting go of someone
Who didn't understand
You needed a much bigger ***
So you could really bloom into the flower you knew you were
Perhaps one day I'll know
Till then, I have to be home by 9.