Hawker - Rome

It was gonna get ugly

And so I kissed his garments

And sat silent while he spoke

For holy men use words only to teach how to let go

How a pure mind takes emptiness as its form

And you look down that dragon spine and you hold on

Hanging on that cliff

Terrified, your voice might fall

And drag you with it

Just quiet your mind, quiet your mind

O, I was young

And what was meant to bring me closer to death — as I recall

Made me just a little short of breath, that’s all

And so I held on to my fear, to red dust

As I crawled, naked and bleeding, across the temple floor

Such are the visions

We collect to console

Ourselves about the present day

About the modern soul

Lord, have mercy, have mercy on me…