20. The Skyline and the Silence
The Skyline and the Silence is about finally breaking free — building a life
in New York as a web consultant, playing bass in a band getting radio play,
owning a door with a key for the first time, until the night a demon from
the old life appeared in the corner of the room, watched him breathe, and
faded away when he refused to give it a name.
By Thomas J. Allen, © 2026
Spoken Word
New York was a different world.
I wasn't a victim there; I was a consultant.
Designing the web for the giants,
building a future out of code.
I had my first apartment,
I started dating,
and I was back on stage.
My bass guitar was my heartbeat,
my new band was hitting the airwaves,
getting radio play and amazing shows.
The memories of the fall were completely gone.
Verse 1
Walking the streets where the neon lights glow,
Consulting the city, watching the business grow.
Designing the digital, the web and the frame,
In the heart of the Island, I'm making a name.
The five-string is thumping, the band's on the air,
Finding my rhythm, I'm finally there.
My first own apartment, a door with a key,
Starting to date, starting to feel like me.
Pre-Chorus
The shadows of Jersey were lost in the tide,
Nowhere for the monsters and demons to hide.
I stood on the skyline, I reached for the light,
Thinking I'd finally finished the fight.
Chorus
But life moves on, through the static and rain,
Breaking the cycle and shedding the chain.
I rose from the ashes, I took back the crown,
In the city of dreams, I refused to go down.
Verse 2
One night in the silence, the room turned to ice,
The air became heavy, a cold, dark device.
He stood in the corner, a demon of old,
Watching me breathe in the damp and the cold.
He stared for a moment, a shadow of fear,
Waiting for me to admit he was here.
But I gave him no notice, I didn't look back,
So he faded away in the depths of the black.
Chorus
But life moves on, through the static and rain,
Breaking the cycle and shedding the chain.
I rose from the ashes, I took back the crown,
In the city of dreams, I refused to go down.
Outro
It's a strange thing... to be the one who made it out.
The demon left because I didn't acknowledge him.
He had no power if I didn't give him a name.
But I moved on. My cousins are broken.
The old man and the coward took everything from them.
But I am still here.
Designing the future.
Playing my bass.
Living.