I've stared these walls down for hours I've watched cracks in the plaster as they crawl The wall Encouraged by the stirring, in foundations Brought by the changes of the elements I hung the paintings oh so strategically Trying to mask the imperfections from the naked eye Like makeup to mask the signature of time I beg my conscious not to speak of what it has seen Or what it knows Erase the past behind these walls, erase the past But the rafters weep at the rain Floorboards bend like a crooked spine Muttering gossips at each step they die to tell A stench of mold permeates out from its hiding place now Walls insulated with spite, abuse, addictions Problems I'm too afraid to face alone Bodies I've locked in with bitterness The ones that hurt The ones that said that I couldn't be what I want to be Doors open I can never close Everything is swayed I'll keep a fresh coat on the outer skin A set of wax plants on the front porch Those who pass by this old estate Well they will never know Well isn't that the name of this old game A fraud, mislead by false by appearance Loved ones, drifters wait outside Forgotten are the times I welcomed people in through these doors How Much longer will the monotonous words Hold their ground Everything is just fine But now my world is shaking And out of the cracks the snakes creep out Exposing my rot I'm not as strong as I make you believe As a matter of fact, beneath the skin I am crumbling Like the incision to separate the infection from tissue Oh carpenter, renovate the old so what's old can become new