The entire city could be asleep
All cars gone, no longer speeding by
The ghosts of strangers in a hurry
The sound of night wind howling
All the little apartments still in the dark
A few drunken people stumbling here and there
And still, I would wait for you on the sidewalk.

Dear Children,

You do not deserve to live in fear.

You do not deserve to lift your hands in surrender when you have done no wrong,
To hide in fright at the sight of the ones who claim authority,
To come home to your houses destroyed,
To have your playmates beaten before your very eyes,
To have mom and dad abused for beliefs they do not live by,
To have your neighbors shot for reasons you do not understand,
To struggle falling asleep when the sound of bombs and gunshots fill the airwaves,
To have military planes speed above you instead of kites,
To have your brothers and sisters hold you close as you tremble and sob,
To have danger and war as all you know.

But children, please remember that what you see and know isn't all there is to the world.

Somewhere out there, perhaps quite far for now, beautiful places await you
Where there is love in the arms that will welcome you,
Gentleness in the touch of strangers,
Parks to sit under blue skies and watch the clouds pass,
Homes where you will be safe and sound,
Quiet nights where you can sleep at ease, the stars watching over you,
And no more war and what you have known all your life.


For now, I only hope that the barren lands you walk on barefoot will begin to grow greener pastures,
I hope flowers grow amidst the rubble and destruction,
I hope the sounds of war will be softened with lullabies,
I hope you will soon be able to play street games and watch sun set,
I hope you will snuggle between your parents at night to sleep soundly,
I hope you will be able to fly kites and build dreams,
I hope you will never grow to become angry and miserable all your days,
I hope you will never feel at fault for things you have never done.

And I wish that you remain hopeful for the day you will be free to wander to better places, away from the turmoil you've come to know, the way you deserve to.

Kisses between conversations,
Red roses and dark chocolate,
Beautiful gowns and flashing lights,
Fierce, wild, reckless love,
This was their life.

Residing in the sleepless city,
Showered with money, fame, and splendour:
The golden boy and the magical girl.
They had it all, they did,
Youth and life to them was forever.

Yet on one silent morning
As the sun rose,
They staggered home, slightly drunk,
Coming from some grand party in Long Island.

They look outside to the sea of buildings.
She pointed out the newspaper vendor below,
He pointed out the lady sweeping the street,
They watched a little happy family stroll along the sidewalk.

Then together, they asked themselves silently:
*What now?

Get tired of me like it always goes.
Tired of me and my ways
Of pretending you truly care for
Me, me, the one who's too dull, too plain for anyone
Like a faded dream, a dead star.
It always happens, these words and stories don't matter to anyone.
Always just wishing for more, and all I'll never have
Goes past me as a reminder that I am not enough.

I hear white noise in the evening gloom
Alone in my head as the wind blows
Then the stereo plays your song, quick and quiet
And it takes me to places nobody knows

You've always thought that no one listens, but I hear your music, I do
I'm listening to your lovely words, your midnight secrets
The things you're too afraid to say in the silence
The words inside that are dying to be set free

Then something tells me your song is about to end
But you don't deserve to fade out the way you always do
So please keep going, keep talking, don't leave
And I'll keep listening.

what a beautiful thing it is to have loved such a flame
a fire that started slowly
then grew taller, grew brighter
a beam of light in the darkness that was magic to me.

what a beautiful thing it is to have loved such a flame
i felt its warmth and i spectated
i came closer and it suddenly turned into different hues
gentle yellows, angry reds, sullen blues.

what a beautiful thing it is to have loved such a flame
it was beautiful, it was bright
it was burning, a star in the night
but then it hurt too much, i could no longer fight.

what a beautiful thing it is to have loved such a flame
i came to close to your fire and you scorched my soul
and i knew what i had to do:
i had to put you out for the better.

what a beautiful thing it is to have loved such a flame
and i'm sorry i stole your fire, i let you die down
i'm sorry i let you hurt me
and make me feel like i was being burnt alive to a slow and steady death

what a beautiful thing it is to have loved such a flame
and now all you are is ghostly smoke
slightly suffocating me still
but fading away while i sit in the darkness

i'm sorry the world has hurt you
you are broken
you are tired
i understand this, dear.
you've been used
you've been hurt
and your colors have faded out.
you're not as alive
as shining, as wondrous
as you used to be, i suppose?
and i wish i could lift the world for you
and hush the voices in your head
bring back the life to your dying heart
and let you know
i would do anything for you