Alarm’s still strobing on my eyelids Lemon-bright drip in a paper cup Caffeine chorus in the bloodstream I chase the cursor till the Sun comes up Buzzing blinds, a deadline heartbeat Eyes still wired from a dreamless night Brain revving up as I hit the glow Start the ritual, flash the light Sugar rush, adrenal flush Chasing scores in spreadsheet mush Uppers and downers, uppers and downers Blue and yellow, trading hours for hours Every day, a staircase made of pills and power Every night sinking in smoke-filled towers Neon signs light the way back home Whiskey whispers in a cobalt glass Street-lamp halos crown the raindrops I chase a buzz while I hunt for grass Blue screens flicker outside and in Current fading underneath my skin I'm sinking low, but I cannot scream Counting breaths until the final dream Nicotine sigh, melatonin sky Low-pass world where the sirens die Uppers and downers, uppers and downers Blue and yellow, trading hours for hours Every day, a staircase made of pills and power Every night sinking in smoke-filled towers Yellow bleeds to blue, green moment in between Hear my heartbeat syncopate the RGB machine If I flicker out tomorrow, will the color keep its sheen? Or will the spectrum run to gray like nothing’s in between? Uppers and downers, uppers and downers Blue and yellow, trading hours for hours Every day, a staircase made of pills and power Every night sinking in smoke-filled towers Uppers and downers, uppers and downers Blue and yellow, trading hours for hours Uppers and downers, uppers and downers