I feel lost, but never defeated

Bruised, but battling

Some days, all that comes out of my mouth is air

As that euphoria disappears once again

It feels like a finale, the end

I wander past army ads on bus shelters

Vape shops, lottery counters, lucky dipped

And I try to catch my reflection on a boarded up display

Yeah, I feel okay, but I'm tired of this struggle

These anxieties, this small talk

I lose track of the thread going around in my head

And I just need to stop and breathe

To recap, to feel at ease

I'm sure it'll come back to me, just wait a sec, please

But no, it's gone

Probably nothing, so let's move along

And I've walked this pavement before

I remember the wet concrete

And where trees once stood

The rose-tinted good

Long gone now, trampled upon

Plans for something shiny never appeared

As the future 'round here always seems to disappear

That fly killer light from the chip shop

Pours into the puddles outside

And it's not just my memory that hides

This loneliness

An edge that used to be smooth

I drag my limbs through that shift in the air

A discarded wheelie bin, smashed in shelter

The usual cliché of urban decay

The huff and puff of continuous dismay

Anchors to live and die by, that old-fashioned way

As suits scramble on a tightrope above, gluttonous, trough scoffed

Full of congrats, fleeing like rats

Leaving us with nothing but performative pride

And whatever we've got left inside

As sometimes you've just got to run and hide

You've just got to run and hide