I looked out toward that metal jungle
A man exhaled cigarette smoke and it rose up fading away
Light glimmered off of windows
The setting sun on an iron casket
I leaned over to pick up an old beer bottle
I threw it away
Yet, still the leaves fell.

Cars dotted across the jungle floor
Red lights, green lights, directing those where to go
A cyclist rung his bell as he swerved around me getting by
It smelt like asphalt in this granite biome
The sun releasing the smell from the highways
At a store I held a rusted door open for a woman and her child
Yet, still the leaves fell.

A puddle survived on the pavement in my parking garage
It was cool here
It shimmered with a rainbow film from car oil
The crunch of loose gravel under my feet echoed in the halls
A man dropped his wallet in here once
I picked it up and returned it to him
Yet, still the leaves fell.

I lived my life doing what was right
I lived my life doing what should be done
Still, the leaves fell.

Walk a mile in my shoes
Feel the pain that I endure
For some it will feel like snowflakes
Caressing their cheeks and soothing their soul
For others it will be hell
A tumultuous storm that rages
Furious flames beneath their feet

Walk a mile in my shoes
Before you spit out your words
Unable to hold down your drink
Sick with anger
Anger directed at smoke
You really know nothing about them
Your anger falls to the floor
And you wait for someone to pick it up

Walk a mile in my shoes
Feel the worn out soles
How loose they bind against your skin
You know nothing of the pebble between my toes
Yet you beckon me to run a marathon with you
Let's run to the sunset
My shoes you wear are too big for you to fill
No blisters form
You are untouched

Walk a mile in my shoes
You wish to hike a mountain
I'm sorry, I cannot follow you there
Like cinder blocks to me
I have my own burdens to bear
Like the car with a flat tire
Or boat with a hole in its hull

Walk a mile in my shoes?
You scoff
You laugh
But my shoes feel tight around my feet
And you'll never know how they feel on me.

It's ok to roll the dice.
Maybe once,
Maybe twice.
Some bad decisions
Will break the vice,
Of always holding back.

Don't be afraid
To take some risks
Cause even though
It's for the worse
An answer in the end is best
For the "What if" question
Always hurts

I wasn't expecting her to show
She arrived as a pleasant surprise
I kept my excitement at a low
My stomach full of butterflies