deadening malaise

Z-man and I headed out in the afternoon,
Just before 1300 hours, not our usual time,
We like going pretty early, or pretty late,
When the parks are emptied or emptying out,
First thing in the morning, or just before sunset,
Since neither of us can skate all that well just yet.
We made a couple of pit stops and chilled,
Drove from place-to-place to check out the scene,
Didn’t get back in until 1730 hours or thereabouts,
Four-and-a-half hours of searching and skating,
Nearest that a bloke like me will ever get to heaven,
The most fun I’ve had since nineteen eighty-seven.
We skated Ranney, checked out the metal ramps in Holt,
Rolled on to Mason’s mini-Team Pain creation,
Then closed out the day with another run at Ranney,
Also built by the House of Pain and their minions,
Twenty-thousand square feet of concrete goodness,
Hubbas and banks and corners and bowled-out bliss.
By the end of the trip we had both padded up,
Didn’t trust the tight corners over at Mason,
Wearing knee pads and wrist guards just in case,
Z-man followed suit after falling on his first run,
We both keep getting faster, pumping higher,
Pushing ourselves until we were both dead tired.
My boy was a little apprehensive at all our stops,
Needs to gain more confidence, has nothing to fear,
So we rolled up on the crowd already in full session,
Giving us funny looks, like I’m not used to that,
But we started rolling and carving right away, hitting it hard,
Most of them chumps was just posing, hardly had any scars.
Dude you got nothing to be ashamed about,
Wanting to skate old man-style with your dad,
We’re skating because we want to-nothing else,
Not trying to impress, not trying to look cool,
Skating for ourselves and the feelings that it instills,
Letting go of all the rest, the bullshit and the bills.
Z-man surprised us both, hit the half-wall and whipped out,
Almost like a slingshot, looked so smooth and fast,
“What the hell was that, what did you just do,
Holy flipn shit lil man, look at you!!”
He flies over the pyramid with plenty of speed,
Smile breaks across his face, as he articulates those knees.
Skateboarding is a lot like life, you get what you give,
Gotta work at this shizz, doesn’t come just like that,
You take your spills, overcome your fears,
Keep on plugging away, do what you do only for you,
Do you really give a flip what other people think,
Or does the slightest disapproval make your heart sink?
You’re just like me, that’s just the way that I am,
Struggling everyday to somehow overcome,
Crippling self-doubt, handed down to me from my father,
You and I stuck in the same boat, lost and afloat,
But together we can find an escape route, find another way,
This is about growing, skating is much more than a game.
Face up to life’s challenges, ride it for what it’s worth,
The biggest obstacle either of us will ever have to face,
Is ourselves, no one else, nothing else,
I want you to live this life to the fullest,
I want you to stop doubting and questioning,
Nothing but for us to live-living life is the only thing.
Question and question and drive your self crazy,
Or listen to me, learn from my mistakes,
When I skate it all falls away, no more questions,
No more to do but to skate, so learn this lesson,
Skating and living become easier day-by-day,
It simply takes me away to a better place.
Sweat-soaked shirts and bloodied elbows,
Tear off the deadening malaise of the everyday,
Clears out the cobwebs and my illusions,
Kills the useless daydreams and mental pollution,
Just grab this life by the horns and ride,
Quiet your mind, let your heart be your guide.