Smoke a Little Past Away

(Inspired by “Smoke A Little Smoke” — escape; twist: coping with trauma)
Verse 1
I don’t brag about it, don’t post a thing,But some nights the quiet’s got too much sting.I slip out back where the porch light’s dim,Sit on the steps with a heavy brim.Crickets sing and the highway hums,Mind starts racing where the war came from.I light one up, watch the ember glow,Let the smoke carry what I can’t let go.
Verse 2
Docs gave pills that made me numb,Prayer sometimes just left me dumb.But a little peace in a backyard chairHurts less than punching holes in air.I don’t chase highs, I just want calm,Something softer than the flash of bombs.So I breathe in slow, breathe out slow—Watching ghosts lift as the breezes blow.
Pre-Chorus
I know it ain’t the cure I need—But it’s a break from the stampede.
Chorus
So I smoke a little past away,Watch it rise and drift and sway.Not to stay gone, just to step asideFrom the war still raging in my mind.I’ll face it all come light of day—But tonight I’ll smokeA little past away.
Bridge
One day I’ll stand with empty hands—Till then I’m doing the best I can.