~
Everyday for years that old alarm clock bothered me
But I always respected that it did so dutifully
That ringing was the only voice I heard at home alone
I hated it but loved it for the loyalty it’s shown
So when it woke me up today and I sat up in bed
And everything felt out of place, I held my cloudy head
The ringing of the clock and even my bed sheets were wrong
Everything around me seemed like it didn’t belong
I wrote it off as nerves, or maybe age was catching me
A shadow in my eye that I could only sometimes see
I went to work as always, where I knew I’d feel the same
The stress it caused me burned like an undying, steady flame
I walked passed the reception with a greeting as always
She didn’t greet me back, it must just be one of those days
Was she wearing black today? Well, it’s not my concern
I used to ask her things, but I was very quick to learn
I grabbed a cup of coffee when I saw the pot was free
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I hated drinking while my coworkers all stared at me
Today they didn’t seem to mind my presence there too much
I didn’t quite fit in there, and they treated me as such
The coffee tasted worse than normal but I didn’t mind
Even the person next to my desk seemed a bit more kind
I must have missed a meeting though, some new workers were there
It seemed I hadn’t been let go, but that gave me a scare
Why was one dressed all in black, I guess it’s just in style
I tended to lose touch of what was trending for a while
Despite the rocky start, I felt my day had gone quite well
Tomorrow might not be as nice as that, but who could tell
I left the building, but the secretary seemed busy
I didn’t say hello because I felt a bit dizzy
I thought I’d take the elevator, though I never did
That was where you’d mostly likely meet the manager’s kid
Luckily I had it to myself this time around
I held my head while waiting it to take me to the ground
But when the doors did open, something took away my breath
I hadn’t seen it before, but I knew that it was death
A shadow-like existence draped in robes as old as time
Made me want to start confessing every lie and crime
But it just looked at me in silence while I stood in fear
How much time had passed, was it a minute or a year?
“I couldn’t find you at your home, you died but didn’t know
You wandered through your day like normal, no one saw you though
I almost didn’t notice you were dead when I saw you
In life and death, there was no difference in the things you do”
The fear began to drain from me, with every feeling too
“The shadows that I saw today, they all must have been you
Why come to collect me after such a pleasant day
I wish I could have lived my whole life like this, go away”
Death stood in the elevator door without a word
But then a long and solemn, fateful whisper could be heard
“To love the hell you lived in and desire it once you’ve died
I couldn’t choose a better hell for someone if I tried”
~
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