Shifting Through the Ashes
by Michael Doyle

Standing here talking close together
You say it's for worse or for better
Shifting through the ashes of an argument
Can you tell me, baby, where the money's spent?

You laugh and concede it as a steady need
Waiting for me to ignore as you plead
That a woman likes to look good for her man
But how long has it been since you've held my hand?

Angels of fortune, they know their lies
The truths they conceal behind their eyes
Star maps hold the beauty of constellations
But none are so gorgeous as my sweet fascination

Letting go of false idols as you pretend to follow
Child of the sun, but you wear like a shadow
There's the worse sort of danger there inside
It is not of those you can too easily hide

Like a child abandoned in a stranger's room
Your velveteen lips spell echoes of doom
Your joy for life is mired in its bitterness
For so much going on, there is a lot of emptiness

Angels of fortune, they know their lies
The truths they conceal behind their eyes
Star maps hold the beauty of constellations
But none are so gorgeous as my sweet fascination

Somewhere above the skies is what connects us
The trick of this ramble is to reach for the nexus
Like two falling stars that meet as they collide
I open my eyes too late to care about my pride

For the love of the god of wishful thinking
I often find myself alone in my drinking
Making games of guessing at walled shadows
And in the end, all I know is less than the fire's glow

Angels of fortune, they know their lies
The truths they conceal behind their eyes
Star maps hold the beauty of constellations
But none are so gorgeous as my sweet fascination

(c) February 6, 2025   Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved