« A flame in the cold »

Jean-Paul VERNERET
1/9/2025

The sidewalks repeat like endless sentences,
The shop windows watch us, yet never speak a word.
We brush past without seeing each other, each lost in silence,
We move blindly through the indifferent crowd,
Every gaze closes like a swinging door.
The city embraces us in its indifference.

Chorus
Present and absent at the same time.
Lost in the echo of our voices,
We search for a flame in the cold,
A face that will respond.
Present and absent at the same time,
Glances searching in vain,
Hearts beating yet staying far away.

Bridge
And if tomorrow shattered the glass,
If our silences were lit,
We might see the light
Behind the walls we’ve built.

The walls are mirrors where our features fade,
The screens capture us, yet never hold.
We live side by side, never calling out,
Each keeping their mask to move freely.
In a vast theater where no one dares to play,
Parallel lives that refuse to touch.

Chorus
Present and absent at the same time.
Lost in the echo of our voices,
We search for a flame in the cold,
A face that will respond.
Present and absent at the same time,
Glances searching in vain,
Hearts beating yet staying far away.

Bridge
And if tomorrow shattered the glass,
If our silences were lit,
We might see the light
Behind the walls we’ve built.