Lyric

Hey… Mom…

Hey Mom, my stomach’s aching again

One little mushroom from the roadside dirt

That’s all you left me today, isn’t it?

I picked it up like it was treasure…

Morning was just weeds, wild and bitter green

I chewed them slow so they’d last till noon

Lunch was half-eaten horsetail from the park

Someone’s leftover, still warm from the ground

What’s happening to me?

What’s happening to me?

I’m sixteen and I’m eating like a stray

Mom, why does love taste like grass and clay?

What’s happening to me…

The other kids at home get real rice sometimes

I hear them laughing while I’m outside

Papa’s gone again, chasing cards and perfume

You just sigh and hand me another “find”

I smile and say “Thank you, it’s enough”

But my hands are shaking when I swallow it down

The mushroom was tiny, the weeds were tough

And the horsetail still had dirt all around

What’s happening to me?

What’s happening to me?

I’m foraging like an animal in the street

Mom, is this the family you wanted for me?

What’s happening to me…

What’s happening to me…

I used to dream about normal dinners

Warm plates, second helpings, someone asking “More?”

Now I’m grateful for a single rotten spore…

Mom… I’m disappearing…

What’s happening to me?

What’s happening to me?

I scammed the old folks for money last week

But I’m still so hungry, still so weak

One mushroom… some weeds… half a horsetail…

Mom, what’s happening to me…?

What’s happening to me…?

What’s happening to me…?

What’s happening to me…?