The Middle Summers

Everybody likes the

ending. Clean picture.

Good light.

Nice little story.

You should've seen

the middle.

You should've seen me

when the room went quiet,

When every big idea

came back denied,

When the phone didn't ring

and the money ran thin,

And tomorrow looked exactly like the day I'd been in.

No crowd outside.

No hands in the air.

No one saying, “Keep going.” Nobody fucking cared.

Just me and another night I didn't know how to win.

You should've seen me then.

Before the good part.

Before things changed.

Before anybody

Remembered my name. You see me now— But you should've seen me

then.

You should've seen me then,

When nothing went right,

When I kept making mornings Out of one more bad night.

You see where I am,

But you don't know where I've been— If you think this part

looks good, YOU SHOULD'VE SEEN ME THEN.

I had plans fall apart before they got a name,

Watched good years disappear without changing the game,

Started from zero, then started again,

Got real fucking familiar with beginning at the end.

There were doors I knocked on till my knuckles went numb,

Days I couldn't tell if I was brave or just dumb,

But something kept saying when the night settled in—

Tomorrow.

So I showed up again.

Don't show me the finish.

Show me 2 A.M.

Show me nobody calling.

Show me starting again.

Show me the part They cut out at the end— That's where

you find out Who the fuck somebody is.

Everybody wants to know when things finally changed.

Wrong question. Ask me why I didn't.

YOU SHOULD'VE SEEN ME THEN!

No applause! No guarantee!

Nobody standing there Betting on me!

Just another locked door And me walking back in!

You think you're looking At the strongest I've been?

NO. The strongest version of me— WAS THE ONE NOBODY SAW BACK

THEN. You should've seen— ME.

THEN.