first I drank insecticide
a little more each day
followed by dirty and sugary foods
grown where the light was grey
later my thoughts were small and sharp
adapted to their purpose
to extract the fuel from fat
under the lovely surface


'cause nothing beautiful
nothing beautiful lasts


moved to a ghost town for inspiration
I could start where they'd given up
feed on the seed of the dreams people left
out to rot when the going got tough
cockroaches turn adversity to immunity
there ain't a niche lower in the animal kingdom
or one with more longevity


'cause nothing beautiful
nothing beautiful lasts


easier to deny what is real
and what's solid and what you can see
if you bulldoze the bankrupted buildings
failure's the dust that settles on the trees


'cause nothing beautiful