I call this one “song of experience”.

you claim that i'm better than you, when in reality
i’m nothing but a practiced poor player 
who knows how to call fire and gold from nothing but words
i stand before you and strut and fret my hour upon the stage
in much the same way i did since i was a child -
and when i became a teenager i found the voice of a haunted pipe organ
that only increased in volume and resonance with time and skill
and when i was 24 i unsexed myself and learned to roar
got some damned spots on my hands 
(i roar about them, too)
i learned the difference between hard and soft, between open palms 
and hidden knives
and built a cathedral for my pipe organ voice 
burnt out like a caravan or a candle a time or nineteen
so don’t ever think you’re better than me
learn to screw your courage to the sticking place
dust off the keys, call the fire
and sing
 07/28/2025

-Allēna