Braces the Fox - Lights On, Nobody Home

The floorboards sigh under my shoes Walls smell like smoke and yesterday’s news Corners curl like they’re tired too Paint peels like it’s giving up on you Kitchen faucet drips like a metronome Counting all the times I’ve felt alone I know they try, I see them try But this house has too many ghosts to lie I tiptoe through memories That aren’t mine to hold Lights on, nobody home I’m just passing through Trying not to notice The things I can’t undo Walls bend, ceilings leak Smoke stains over the door I know it’s all they have But it’s not what I’m looking for Mom’s in the living room, chain smoke curling Dad’s at the table, papers spread like warning I sink into my room, headphone shield Pretend I don’t hear The tired voices The weight of this old building Pressing into my shoulders Every crack in the plaster Every draft under the door Feels like a message That I don’t belong here anymore I understand I see what they give But I can’t make it mine Lights on, nobody home I move through this place Like I don’t have roots Like I’m just a trace Smoke in the curtains Floorboards complain I know they’re trying But it still feels the same I wish it was different I wish it felt like safety I wish the walls didn’t lean in Like they’re waiting for me to break I love them, I do But this house Is not mine to grow in I’m always half outside Even when the door is closed Lights on, nobody home I’m here but not here The smell, the leaks, the tired glow Remind me I don’t belong here Lights on, nobody home I fold myself small I know they’re doing what they can But it’s never enough for me at all I leave the lights on anyway Maybe someone will notice Maybe not