]you were there in the driver's seat
next to me, in that dull yellow taxi
as we watched the roads stretch out
to the horizon, seemingly endlessly

i wanted to break the silence between us
but at the time, words felt so empty
i was living in a monochrome world
staring at the blurred asphalt before me

there were voices of doubt ringing in my mind
no one spoke, but i could tell you were waiting
for me to break through my mental cage of misery
that wasn't directed toward the sky, nor the sea

but rather toward the person in the mirror
i know you saw hopelessness in my eyes
but before the lights even flashed from red, you looked over
you told me, no, you had seen green lights

you taught me how to drive that old taxi
how to make it through the stormy nights
even when all i wanted was to feel the rush of being alone
in an empty field, waiting for lightning to strike

as we drove through the dark city streets
in your words, i found a shining light
in your eyes, i found a mentor
someone who could bring color to my life

the day i received my driver's license
you had sat in the passenger seat
it was a miracle we had not crashed in the streets
a miracle, i now think, that we had the chance the meet

it's been ages since we started driving
years have passed by in a blink
the emptiness and hopelessness i felt back then—
sometimes, i think i've forgotten those feelings

it's no romanticized tragedy, nor fairy-tale ending
but four years later, alone, i can drive that old taxi
even though you have left the ride
your words have stayed with me

and from behind me, i hear
voices of strangers, friends, family
you're gone now, but your light still surrounds me
and i know it's hope lingering in the backseat

for anyone out there in the passenger seat
wanting to overcome, find hope, or be brave
as someone who has once sat where you sit now
my advice is this: try loosening up a little on the brakes