I remember Cape Cananveral
Though I was many years too late.
When a long rocket’s red and starry eye.
Lifted our eyes in commingled fate.

Nothing unites us like destruction.
O rings twist as the GIs pivot
Speeches and rockets are fueled with gunpowder.
As towers climb and Rosies rivet.

Why do they build our rockets?
As they give each other medals and applaud
When did we let them trade in our exploration
for a Tesla-branded escape pod

We thought we knew what loneliness was
Until our universes collapsed
into an impregnable bubble
When our borders contracted out of fear

Suddenly, we were trapped with people
Who we weren’t entirely at home with.
Time plus distance made the hearts grow fonder
But what happens when the space contracts

We worked to escape a lot of the time
Carved out niches reserved solely for ourselves
We bargained and maintained for a shred of self
We all hoarded little quarks and quirks.

Now, we all must turn inward.
Regulation, guideline, doctor-prescribed selfishness
We must spend time with each other
And embrace the decision’s made.
Summer’s almost over.
And a lonely winter isn’t far.

We had an agreement
You and I
We promised to do better.
This time we’d part ways
With our troubled past.
We’d let go.

Of the anger.
Of the betrayal.
Of the hate.
Of the lies.
Of the deceit.

But you made me.
You made come.
You made me come down hard.
On the back of your neck.
Like a yoke.
That chokes.
Like a boot
That suits.
You made me push and let go.

We knew this was coming.
You and I
Things would get really bad.
Then get a whole lot worse.
We told ourselves it’d get better.
We’d get out.

Of the anger.
Of the betrayal.
Of the hate.
Of the lies.
Of the deceit.

But you forced me.
You forced me past.
You forced me me past the edge.
Into a clear way forward
Like a blade
That slays
Like a fist
That’s pissed.

I’m going to push and let go.

He went away for the holy day
He took a Hajj holiday
But he never got there
He never got there
He never got there
He never got there they say

The NSA took the Imam away
They put him away
They put him away
In Guatanamo Bay

Now we don’t know
Where the Imam has been
They took him from us
They took him from us
We don’t know
Where the Imam has been
They took him from us
They took him from us

Ringy, ringy, ringy
Up the President
And remind him to close
that illegal residence
Ringy, ringy, ringy
Up the FBI
And ask them to stop
Making Jihad

Yeah, yeah, yeah
No no no, no no no
No no no, no no no

He went away for the holy day
He took a Hajj holiday
But he never got there
He never got there
He never got there
He never got there they say

He went away for the holy day
He took a Hajj holiday
But he never got there
He never got there
He never got there
He never got there they say

The NSA took the Imam away
They put him away
They put him away
In Guatanamo Bay

The NSA took the Imam away
They put him away
They put him away
In Guatanamo Bay

Scrape it into a pile.
Gather everything
that once had meaning.
Pack it full of tinder.
Scorch it to a cinder.
Build up the pyre.
Build up the pyre.
We got lots of wood.
Splitting with anger.
Chords of disbelief.
Gasoline and camphor.

Flick your bics
Flick your bics
and set it all on fire.

Burn it all down.
It’s time to start over.
Burn it all down.
It’s time to start over.

You grab the big ax.
I’ll whack it
with the hatchet.
Let’s get to work.
Time to make a racket.
Build up the pyre.
Build up the pyre.
Splitting with anger.
Chords of disbelief
Gasoline and camphor.

Flick your bics
Flick your bics
and set it all on fire.

Burn it all down.
It’s time to start over.
Burn it all down.
It’s time to start over.