Siren Songs

There is a town to the east
Where yelling at each other is a sign of a joyful feast
Where time ticks as fast but feels slower

There is a city to the north
Where ideas that shape society are common export
Where time ticks as fast but feels faster

Here is a city in which I stand
Where the colors of the world become a marvelous blend
Where time ticks as fast but feels fluid

I was born in the one, have lived in the other and am now in the last
There are more places to mention,
but three is enough to see the stretch I’m in
To feel how I'm spread thin
Like I belong in all of those places
but nowhere really fit in

Some people’s toes seem to have rooted in the ground
While mine rather lead me to a game of lost and found
Some people are homegrown and homebound
While I am fully grown but very much in doubt

Different places pulling me in different directions
And when one gets me for a while
The others start their siren song
Of yelling at a feast,
shaping society,
and blending colors of the world

I am fully grown
But I cannot yet tell
If one place will bring me in
Or if I will come to see
that it’s a privilege
to hear all these sirens sing

This was first performed at SpeakEasy Brussels