NO CLEAN EXIT

I woke up with a stranger’s hands wired underneath my skin violet ghosts behind my eyes asking where I end City says: become the blade or learn to disappear so I taught the chrome to hate and fed it every fear Neon dripping down the glass sirens choking out the rain every upgrade leaves a scar every scar forgets a name I can feel the current bite where the nerves became a cage there are things I used to mourn now they only sharpen rage Turn it up let the signal burn I’ve got nothing left to save and too much left to learn There’s no clean exit no painless way I carved my answer into the frame Let every circuit scream my name let every warning light go red I’m still here I’m still dangerous and I’m not finished yet Black glass eyes and violet fire catch your movement in the haze steel remembers every touch better than I remember days They sold heaven by the gram sold salvation by design so I bought another weapon and called the damage mine No confession no excuse no machine can make me pure if the city wants a monster I can give it something worse Turn it up make the whole grid shake every piece they replaced in me is another thing that won’t break There’s no clean exit no painless way I carved my answer into the frame Let every circuit scream my name let every warning light go red I’m still here I’m still dangerous and I’m not finished yet Not dead not tame not yours to name Not healed not whole still mine still cold Sometimes I hear who I was under the engine noise Not asking to be rescued just asking for a choice Maybe that’s the cruelest part beneath the steel and wire: I still know what I’ve become and I still choose the fire Cut the feed kill the lights let them come Chrome and blood wrong and right come undone No gods left no clean hands no regret If I’m going down— I’m not going quiet yet There’s no clean exit so clear the way I made my answer out of the pain Let every circuit scream my name let every skyline bleed in red I’m still here I’m still dangerous and I’m not finished yet No clean exit no second skin no machine gets to decide where I end or I begin Let the violin cut through the noise like the last nerve in my chest I’m still here I’m still dangerous and I haven’t given you my best Not dead. Not tame. Not yet.