on purpose

i can learn nine languages
i can travel eighteen countries
or all seven continents
and even discover an eighth one
but i cannot jump over this fence

i can build stars from scratch
write dozens of songs and release albums
promote hundreds of jazz gigs
give handkerchiefs to the people crying
but i cannot erase a fake smile from this face

i can draw a bright blue sky on canvas
i can make you hear the birds singing
i can create any sun you’d like
even if there’s none up there
but i cannot make the deaf hear it out

i can bring you pink sunglasses 
to help you see there’s no dead end
that there’s no end whatsoever
i can bring all my friends to become your friends
but i cannot make you see if your eyes are black

maybe that fence doesn’t even look that high
even if i am barefoot and my feet are bleeding
but what if i look closer and there’s a brick wall behind it
what if you kept building it on purpose
brick by brick