And your eyes
So deep and beyond your years
Resentful of the hand on your shoulder
That never lifted a finger
And she tried, o yes she tried
But the “why” never matters
And the hurt of Highland Park
And high-in Texas
Clenched jaw
Your full lips tight at the corners
Just like the strings you pull to force the ends together
Insecure like the hair you desperately try to flatten –
Straight and tired
And this is your life
A teenager caught in a rough world
Where you grew up too soon
And you learned too fast
Knew too much
Where was the innocence?

But you made it
And mom look at me
I’m a faker living in a sheltered world
You’re tough as nails
And I act like I try
But just like you I am soft at the heart
And as much as I try to be a rebel
You see right through
Just like this picture
Past the half-awkward smile
Thrown into the truth
And into your eyes