seeking refuge...

the city offered no refuge
i came here to disappear
to dilute the spirit
to dissolve the soul
a soul battered by the betrayal
but i must think of it no more

i keep the pictures in my drawer
handy, within reach
so that i can remember how i looked like then
i looked happier
the smile is stretched
it is full
now it is a measured smile
i guess i am still recovering

I walk around
alone
but i feel free

the city is cruel
like me it is on extremes
the winter is harsh
the summers brutal
often times, the air is stifling, dry and still

I drive around in the strange city
hang out with like souls
who are fleeing their past
like me, they are escapists too
and sometimes I smoke with them
that's when we bond
the smoke mixes - curling up, thinning into the strange air
and our experiences too
they are escaping a real war
their lands torn by strife
I am escaping the war within
but we are all seeking some refuge

i am refugee by choice
they are refugees by force