The Confessional

You dare me to confess, to show you my soul Reach in the mirror and pull out what I see I find only pieces but you want the whole You ask for the lamb, but there’s a lion in me You hope to see a saint with hands raised high And don’t believe the sinner who begs to be free My soul is like snow, where it falls let it lie Every touch leaves a stain, snuffs out the glow It’s hard to catch the flakes before the wind makes them fly You want me to show you what you think is soft snow But not the scarlet drops that melt on the white Turning into black ice as they tumble below There’s a coward in me, but she’s willing to fight What’s snow without a little blood splatter there If you’re worried you’re too close, you should be. I bite. You want a sun lit path but the sign says beware At the end you’ll find barbed wire, a wall, a cage Not a delicate flower or the mask that I wear You don’t see my soul till it’s penned on the page I’m just a jumble of thoughts that you can’t hear You see nothing until I’m naked, my heart on a stage I don’t know where I end but my beginning is clear I balance on the tightrope, sweat dripping on the wire Is it my soul you want, or just the smell of my fear? One step is just an inch and this rope is made of fire I’ve got miles to go and minutes till I burn Each flame calls my name--friend, sinner, lover, liar With lungs full of smoke and courage I turn Closed eyes, raised hands, I surrender what I’ve got Lean forward, free falling, no net, no concern I plummet head first into the depths, into the rot Into every crime and sacrifice and perfect pure intention It’s scattered at your feet--what I am, what I can be, what I’m not