to stay alive

empty your pockets

empty your soul

leave your locket behind

and the name of the contact

if you lose your heart, your stomach

your mind

when I arrived

the trees along the riverside were bare

of leaves

and all was stark, and cold

and I was alone

many have come and gone

even the leaves are dropping now

and bombs

and people

and dreams, they left too, like the birds

I don’t hear anymore

no dreams, no fantasy, no hope

only one certitude

we will win we say

in whispers, or to the morning coffee

in our cups

even with a grin, sometimes

we will win

as the morning shivers in

and the callous explosions

boom! boom! boom! again

I know, I’m scared to leave

like the last leaf, on the last tree standing

scared to see again what was normal

to stand waiting for a bus, or for breakfast

or for the pedestrian crossing to turn green

for here there are no laws

none

I never wait for a bus

we drive at any speed we want

fast, faster or even faster

who among us has even a licence?

to kill? you don’t need one

to understand? forget it, son, forget

while you can

to stay alive

empty your pockets

empty your soul

leave your locket behind

and the name of the contact

if you lose your heart, your stomach

your mind

when I arrived

the trees along the riverside were bare

of leaves

and all was stark, and cold

and I was alone

many have come and gone

even the leaves are dropping now

and bombs

and people

and dreams, they left too, like the birds

I don’t hear anymore

no dreams, no fantasy, no hope

only one certitude

we will win we say

in whispers, or to the morning coffee

in our cups

even with a grin, sometimes

we will win

as the morning shivers in

and the callous explosions

boom! boom! boom! again

I know, I’m scared to leave

like the last leaf, on the last tree standing

scared to see again what was normal

to stand waiting for a bus, or for breakfast

or for the pedestrian crossing to turn green

for here there are no laws

none

I never wait for a bus

we drive at any speed we want

fast, faster or even faster

who among us has even a licence?

to kill? you don’t need one

to understand? forget it, son, forget

while you can