Fish in a Birdcage - Rule #56 - Stranger in the Mirror

I need confirmation
Before desperation
Erases my discretions
I'm stuck between realities
I feel a slipping traction
Defining new reactions
I don't recognize the
Stranger in the mirror staring back at me

I'd like to find a bridge
That connects my past to this
To remember the challenges of where I come from
That gates we had to climb
Ripped our clothes and scarred your side
Remember we pushed ourselves to avoid the fall

Shadows behind me shout, carry on, move along
The poison won't find me, carry on
Mistakes don't define me, carry on, move along
They simply remind me to, carry on

I'd like to find a bridge
To the past when we were kids
To remember how we learned, just like a sponge
Through the teachers of our past
And the hardships that we've had
Harsh lessons through suffering
Shaped how we grow

Shadows behind me shout, carry on, move along
The poison won't find me, carry on
Mistakes don't define me, carry on, move along
They simply remind me to, carry on