he crawls back to his feet, he's gotta keep running
scraped knees, no retreat, these enemies is cunning
keeps looking over his shoulder to see if he can see 'em coming
it's getting colder and dusk is upon him
dried tears and distressed facial features
blood crusted jeans and a sweat-stained t-shirt
throat dry... thirsty, a migrane, a fever
and a fractured femur only some of the ways that he hurts
dark alleys, stark contrasts
mini-marts, parks, and valleys
mark the tally on the contract
thought he was far beyond that
his heart rallies but it just sparks the combat
seeking freedom, he ends up in scuffles
torment and threats what he gets for his troubles
shoes wet from all the stepping in puddles
he tries to yell out for help but it just gets muffled
he treads ahead but he just gets the feeling
he's trying to reach the ceiling in an escher building
or get rescued in a section the rest were killed in
worse yet he doesn't get if he's the villian
or the hero
all he knows for sure is losing his pursuers
now he's moving through a forest
not certain but the bird chirping seems recorded
every tree arranged like a bouquet from a florist
pictured home, then it became one
interweaved like a scene from 'What Dreams May Come'
that black cat he passed - was that the same one?
gasps as he grasps that he's right back where he came from
world spinning around him
folding up old memories surround him
broken silence - who let the sound in?
oh, cover blown, somehow they found him
whipped and imprisoned by misinformation
it's his own conscience they hit him in the face with
looking grim vision tinted with hatred
just then he remembers a glitch in the matrix
if he can just resist the tricks he can make it
move with the blueprint, wait to escape it
the next chance he gets he takes it
breaks free from the pain and chains that they had him constrained in
heads for the mountains, the past behind him
with every inch in elevation he's gaining strength, climbing
rising to heights so high they can never find him
brighter and brighter the sky is shining
above the clouds smells the air hears the trumpet
sees the glory, his story triumphant
feeling the rush from being something
in the masterpiece, can't believe he's the one that's
in the scene when the camera pans through
360 degree panoramic view
and a wide-angle lens to understand it through
comprehends there's nothing he can't do
so peaceful, he can make amends now
sees the reasons things make sense now
every time up he's swinging for the fence now
now he knows what's up and why it went down
illumination like the type that could lead you
the light unlike the kind that you could read to
it was when he saw what lied within him that he knew
heartbeat is more than rhythm we bleed to
so beautiful, so painful
so tumultuous, so tranquil
so overwhelmed, so thankful
the door was open, and he came through
looking back, the adventure, the searching
with a different perspective to observe it
all the imperfections, it was perfect
hectic, stakes was high, it was worth it
oh.. another test, what about it?
now he sees every endeavor as another challenge
nothing better when they sweat him and they doubt him
whenever they bet against him you can count it
he made it out and he's never going back in
stepping up first in line when it happens
this time more answering, less asking
the grime is nothing when the shine is everlasting
any road, any given intersection
these waterfalls, a living reflection
winds of change just giving him direction
same life, a different inflection
same show, a whole new venue
new faces in the crowd, new events to attend to
no limits this journey can't extend to
and what happens next - to be continued...