The Better View

It’s easy to forget your past
When you’re moving forward and you’re moving fast
When you got a whole new kind of cast
And everyone knows their lines

But I was there when you were just a boy
Your face was shy but your eyes were coy
You just watched as they stamped out my joy
Did you suddenly grow a spine?

You were never the one to initiate
No, you stood by as I met my fate
It was something so much worse than hate
It was self-preservation

Now you’re standing tall, your smile proud
Your eyes are bright, your voice is loud
You’re so gentle, kind, and understanding now
You’re calm but not complacent

When I asked you ‘bout our younger years
You took another sip of beer
And said “yeah, they were chill”
And man that killed

It’s tempting to condemn your past
As someone sad and someone crass
To sweep it up like shattered glass
Replace it with something new

But nothing’s as sturdy as it seems
We’re all patchworks of pockmarked dreams
Sifting through the same old scenes
We swore that we outgrew

I’m married now, I’m doing well
I made it through the depths of hell
I built an image that I learned to sell
And nobody saw the cracks

But it all comes back while I’m asleep
Those secrets that I’ve tried to keep
The laughingstock, the frail black sheep
Behind those cheap “life hacks”

When I asked you ‘bout our younger days
You smiled faintly and looked away
And straightened out your shirt
And man that hurt

It’s easy to condone your past
And tell yourself the wounds won’t last
To climb right up to the upper class
And take in the better view