With Small We Start

He's never seen the northern lights glow
From a wooden hut nearby Abisko
There's a National Geographic photo
That's been ripped out of a magazine

On a bench by his old radio
Morning sunlight through the shed window
Colours faded now but for the green
The fantasy is all we need

Take note, take heart, with small we start
To rewire, rethink, step back from the brink
Take hold, tear old, worn habits apart
Go steady, go, with small we start

She'll probably never live in Portland
With graffiti roses for a garden
But new stories form on the horizon
As she lets go of moving over there

Instead she walks her niece to school
Looks for swallows by the river pool
And learns when you're not in a rush
That tiny things can mean so much

Take note, take heart, with small we start
To rewire, rethink, step back from the brink
Take hold, tear old, worn habits apart
Go steady, go, with small we start

Some days I'm flooded with emotion
By our blind dystopian devotion
And it's hard to see where we are going
The lack of empathy, the lack of love

But I'll try to plant some little seeds
Try to sift out all my wants from needs
Sort the mess out in my own backyard
Light the future with this spark

Take note, take heart, with small we start
To rewire, rethink, step back from the brink
Take hold, tear old, worn habits apart
Go steady, go, with small we start

(Northern lights, northern lights)