Second Chances from Sunbleach by Nick Costa

Jenny calls to apologize
She says “my son is such a hot head sometimes.
I don’t know where he got it from, I tried to raise him right.
It’s from his father’s side.”
We got into it, catching fists
I called him out for defending racists
He told me to get over myself
I told him to get bent
We used to be best friends

It’s funny how some things work out
How your mind can change when you age
But so much stays the same

I get lost scrolling through the feed
Lately, I feel I’m losing steam
I’m feeling helpless from the things that I’ve seen
But this was never about me
My old friends form a trauma bond
From catching teargas and defusing bombs
They say “is this Minneapolis or Vietnam?
It’s not the country I’m from.”

We have been disenchanted
From giving second chances
And rightfully so

My mother calls me to check in
She says “you have no clue what trouble we’re in”
I said I talked to my uncle and now Christmas might get weird
It’s been one hell of a year

• Folk
• Saint Paul