Goodbye Ash

When I go to bed
I see fantastical images in my head
But the stars never shimmer long enough to reminisce
So instead I can only see what makes the present tense
And the cycle never ends

Someone, tell me, what can remind me
Of when I was naive
So blissfully ignorant always living a child’s dream
There isn’t just a magical time piece made for rewinding
But there is a TV show from the 90s

It was the backdrop image
While I kicked it on the blacktop
Scribbled in my math book
Kidding ‘round with grand pop
Building in the sandbox
Any time I look at it I picture my innocence like a snapshot

And I never need a matchbox
Just to keep the light burning bright while I search the past
It’s a fact I can always turn to Ash
And those memories will never be turned to ash

Now I’m a grown man
Got my own home and a loan plan
Many say that catchin ‘em all is just an old fad
But I still hold that slogan close
While I'm kicking reality in the gonads

It’s a token
Of days of old
And it’s an omen
Of what’s down the road
But yes I know that
Every great story told has a curtain that has to be closed

In Kanto we saw where the rainbow begins
In Johto we fought on a prayer and a wing
In Hoenn we traversed the land and the sea
In Sinnoh we climbed up the highest of peaks
Unova we battled and bid our best wish
In Kalos we channeled the bonds of our friends
Alola we took home the championship
And in Galar we mastered the art of a win

But what's left?
I swear that my breath is the only thing I couldn't catch
It’s racing so fast that this shape in my chest is just breaking in half as it clings to the past

But there’s more to seek
Much beyond the horizon
But I’ve been
Sinking in the sand that I should’ve drawn a line in
That’s why I’m frightened to dive in
I’m just not ready to say goodbye yet

I spent too much of our time
Wishing that I was
Older and wiser
Skipping years of my life
But now I see the bigger picture in hindsight and
It’s better to paint than to watch paint dry

I realize it was fine to cry
Now even my spilled milk has aged like fine wine
‘Cause it’s part of what makes people alive
It’s the lows, it’s the highs
It’s the wins, it’s the sacrifice

And I learned that from my icon
The one that I call my friend and rival
Where has the time gone?

I’ll go off the wall if you’re AWOL
I’ll be static if your signal is phased off

I took you for granted, they turned you to stone
And my tears can’t wash away what history wrote
It’s over
We won’t just get another childhood
But Maybe another child could

In Kanto we saw where the rainbow begins
In Johto we fought on a prayer and a wing
In Hoenn we traversed the land and the sea
In Sinnoh we climbed up the highest of peaks
Unova we battled and bid our best wish
In Kalos we channeled the bonds of our friends
Alola we took home the championship
And in Galar we mastered the art of a win

There’s kids like me roaming
All over, I don’t care if they’re a year old
Even the next generation needs a hero
Maybe it’s Roy, Maybe it’s Liko

Who am I to deprive
Another child of feeling this same pride?
Might even be mine and
They’ll find their own song to write
But for now, Ash
It’s time
To say goodbye