Still Here, Somewhere

Inspired to write a poem, which became a song, of sorts.

[Verse 1]

I saw your face again today
A thousand miles and a screen away
You looked so happy, bathed in light
Another perfect Friday night

I almost called to ask you how
But I don't think we'd know what to say now
I know the places that you've been
But not the person in your skin

[Chorus]

Are you still there, behind those eyes?
Beneath the smiles, the borrowed lives?
We show the world what it wants to see
And hide the things that make us real

A million faces, shining bright
A million strangers, alone tonight
Everybody's here, or so it seems
But no one's quite what they appear to be

[Verse 2]

We learned to smile before the pain
To turn our losses into gain
To measure love in hearts and views
And call it freedom when we choose

We built ourselves a pretty stage
And slowly turned it into a cage
Now every thought must earn its place
Before we dare show our face

[Chorus]

Are you still there, behind those eyes?
Beneath the smiles and borrowed lives?
We show the world what it wants to see
And hide the things that make us real

A million faces, shining bright
A million strangers, alone tonight
Everybody's here, or so it seems
But no one's quite who they appear to be

[Bridge — quiet, almost spoken]

They know the roads we've taken
Every promise, every purchase made
They know the things that keep us waking
And the fears we never gave a name

But somewhere in the endless scrolling
Between the things we share and hide
There's a stranger I've been slowly knowing
Wearing my face, living my life

[Final Verse — stripped back]

I turned the screen off yesterday
And watched the evening fade away
No one knew, and no one cared
Not here, I didn't need them there

And in the silence, something stirred
A voice I'd almost never heard
Not asking who I ought to be
Just quietly reminding me

[Outro]

We're online
We're visible
We're connected
We're everywhere

And somewhere under it all
I wonder...

Are we really here?