Chasing echoes and house keys

Chasing Echoes
Who chases echoes?
Your neighbor,
that step-brother you never talked to,
the woman behind the register,
and even the bearded man at the subway
that can afford a meatball sub every day
but not a hair cut.

Everyone you have ever known
has chased an echo,
longing to find what once made glorious sounds
in the dark catacombs of their lives.
Hoping that they will find that sanctuary,
a time when life had no bounds.
When there weren’t any walls to echo off of.

So, tell your neighbors, cashiers, relative strangers and even the bearded man,
to live your life loud,
making an impact like the beat of a drum
against the ears of those around you
and maybe these sounds will echo loud enough to make you forget,
forget what longing and regret sounds like,
to make you stop chasing echoes.


Ode to House Keys
You know me
you sing when I walk,
your jingles are music to my ears.
You know the way home,
the way inside
and no matter how I decorate you with knick-knacks
I can never repay you for how whenever I lose you
You take me back, always opening the door for me.

All of this makes this tougher to say
I am holding you back,
the possibilities for you are endless
you could have opened any door in the world
but I chose you, and now instead of opening
government briefcases, shopping malls or amusement parks
you open my door.

Despite all of this,
you faithfully open my door, always on the second try.
you still shine from the moonlight reflecting off of the porch
oh personality is ok, and pretty eyes are fine
But when the girl I am with finds the
eight-ball chain you are wearing today cute,
this is the defining factor that makes a girl truly a 'keeper'.
Oh house keys, you have no substitute,
just don’t look under the mat.

Okeydokey.