not an evergreen,
staying alive has never had simplicity.
i’m angry that i made myself like this,
trimmed my branches,
thought things were not meant to stick to me.
i am angry that i thought
my savior is some wanderlust women
unfit for the journey,
jealous of the destination.

not an evergreen,
i cannot live without water.
the cold pursues me,
prancing in the unbearable wind.
there’s salvation on the edge of the horizon,
some soft meadow to lay my head upon.
along the line of trees, finding is impossible.
somehow not small enough
to be cut down and taken home and,
without a doubt,
i am not tall enough to see.

Does it all make sense yet?
Does this life have any feeling?
Is our soul in the right hearts?
Will we finally find harmony?

Once a upon a time we were all alive
Passed the golden gates as orchestras
synthesized a symphony
No one ever heard of hate or blasphemy
Peace was found along side of freedom
and we could peacefully breathe freely

Now twice a upon a reality death was rudimentary
The faucet leaking took a soul while all our hearts were sinking
Blood clogged so bad it sent vibrations worth 8 years of seizures
The lineage broken breaks down a soulmate into insanity
The silence of fear hoping to find its harmony

Jesus Lord, you sing your song over me
In your holy loving arms, you enfold me
In your presence, you surround me
And when I was lost, you found me
You breathed into me your very spirit
Call my name and I come to life when I hear it
Jesus, I come alive when I see you
I come alive when I feel you are near
I come alive when I am doing your will
I come alive today and I cannot be still
I was dead in my sin and your grace brought me back
You saved me when I was living under a heart attack
Now, my heart beats for you with love alone
And the light within is finally made known
When I think of you, when I talk about you
My face lights up like a Christmas Tree
I become electrified; I begin to come alive
Jesus, bring me back to life out of the grave I'm in
I come back to you; please cleanse me from my sin
I come to life when I worship and adore
It's a feeling that's too hard to ignore
For, if I leave it, it boils and bubbles
And I soon find myself with many troubles
But if I obey and try to stay the course
I feel I am protected by a supernatural force
I come alive in the one who gave me life
I can have life eternal because he paid the price
I'm alive because He lives in me
I'm alive because He set me free
I'm alive because He loved me
I Come to Life
I'm ALIVE!

What makes you wake up in the morning?
Tell me so I can try it
sentence me to a life of living
please, in desperation I plead,
I’ll give you the lead so you can solve
the study of staying alive

be my witness
see me wake up in the morning
continuously

my sentence ends when
I’ve tried each of these reasons
there’s enough to last a lifetime
these reasons become a lifeline

the case of staying alive:
the next best love story ever told
me and the reasons
me and the seasons
me and the unread novel on the shelf
of the public library on the street
that I have yet to live on with
friends I have yet to meet
and a garden I am yet to plant bulbs in
that grow life with
and if
these reasons are ongoing and growing
what’s not to say that these reasons
are ever going to leave me
witness me complete my sentence
of living alive —

the windows are shut
the blinds are drawn
the door is locked
the lights are out
but the house is awake

the floorboards ripple
the walls squirm
the ceiling shakes with nervous energy
the doorways twitch

night has fallen
the people inside are fast asleep
but the house is awake