A parcel of life
wrapped in a red bow
lifted by the good
and left in our hands
how do you handle
the unwieldy gift?
And is it to be
opened where you stand?

Miracles will come
most unexpected
always unknown and
loved in their splendor
So how should i feel
when you hand me this?
A bouquet for one
naming me center
of your world

I bid you farewell
though forever it may seem
a thousand years in seconds
as you anxiously watch the clock
And time will keep on moving
just slower to our gaze
a spinning broken record
a time capsule to be bought

How stoic a reminder
of all that we may be
chimes of a bygone era
set in our memories
Returning to it never
though that be the silent hope
but time is unforgiving
as we sit in reverie

Our questions go unanswered
our wishes and our dreams
decaying and forgotten
as we trample on them still
in the senseless hope of finding
the very thing we broke
the hearts of all around us
our thirst for pain fulfilled

And though I say goodbye
as broken as I am
a mere reflection of the truth
in the shattered mirror of life
I welcome all this chaos
and cherish all the pain
because deep down I know
it's proof that I'm alive

A single raindrop falls from the sky,
depressed in its loneliness as it descends.
It lands and drips down a grassy *****,
alone and forgotten.

A single raindrop falls from the sky.
It falls from dark clouds and gloomy air.
It brings nothing but sadness to the earth below
and desires only to be heard or seen.

A single raindrop falls from the sky,
felt only by a stranger.
It's wiped away, declared a nuisance,
and cast away from existence.

A single raindrop falls from the sky,
mistaken for a tear.
Thought to be from an angel of a lost age.
It merely stirs the dust.

A hundred raindrops fall from the sky,
all lonely but together.
They cause a splash and demand attention.
Still only felt by one.

A hundred raindrops fall from the sky,
unable to quench the earth's thirst.
They disappear, taken by the ground,
embraced for the last time.

A hundred raindrops fall from the sky.
Not a head turns to notice them.
They cry out loudly but cannot be heard,
vanishing as they land.

A thousand raindrops fall from the sky.
The clouds gather to watch the spectacle.
They grow darker as they bunch together,
warning those below of the coming.

A thousand raindrops fall from the sky
and tap people on the shoulder.
"Come watch us," they whisper before leaving.
Few people are left behind.

A thousand raindrops fall from the sky,
looking for an audience.
The people have left and taken their friends
to hide in the buildings they made.

A million raindrops fall from the sky,
and joyously, they sing.
They hit the ground, the cars, the roofs,
and make music for those in hiding.

A million raindrops fall from the sky.
They dance and cheer and smile.
The sun decides it wants to watch.
The light dances with raindrops for awhile.

A million raindrops fall from the sky,
accompanied by rays of gold.
They bring new color to the city of gray
and rejuvenate all of the old.

A gentle rain falls from the sky
and makes art upon the ground.
It quenches the earth's thirst and hums in our ears,
dancing to its own sound.

A gentle rain falls from the sky.
People watch with awe from behind glass.
Ignored by many, precious to captivated few.
They long for it to last.

A gentle rain falls from the sky
and gracefully sways in the breeze.
It brings forth calmness and a sense of peace.
It blesses the green fields and trees.

A gentle rain falls from the sky,
watched by a child with wonder.
It sends the breeze to lift the child
and brings them out from under.

A gentle rain falls from the sky
and splashes on window panes.
It plays with the child and hums sweet tunes
as it makes puddles in the traffic lanes.

A gentle rain falls from the sky
and ripples in the water.
A new world created, impossibly calm.
It makes the child an offer.

A gentle rain falls from the sky
and whispers in the child's ear.
"Wait for me.  I will return.
I won't leave you alone here."

A gentle rain falls from the sky
and sings goodbye to the child.
The clouds dissipate as the sun takes over.
The departing rain simply smiles.

A million raindrops fall from the sky,
murmuring farewells and goodbyes.
Each gives the child a tender hug
as the color returns to the skies.

A thousand raindrops fall from the sky,
then a hundred, then one.
The single raindrop kisses the child
standing alone in the sun.

No longer do raindrops fall from the sky,
but a child waits for them.
To dance and sing and draw and play,
with the gentle rain again.

Rally of faces gathered in groups
build a large crowd crying for truth
shields of black night forming a wall
blocking the protest from getting through

Smokey haze of poisonous gas
tossed from above where the bright white cast
soldiers march in with gun and knife
darkness protected guarding its mask

Meaning lost, forgotten in pain
arrests and murders let free to take place
a movement disbanded by merciless force
and invalidated by terrible names

"Terrorists and bigots all who align!"
none to believe it true, but all remain afraid
of the government's arm to silence questions
and the wrath of unforgiving puppets

The Revolution is coming
pay wound with war
enough to join us
and tyranny will fall

The rain fell hard that day,
that day carved in my soul.
And not from anger did I cry,
nor happiness, nor woe.
I cried from pure acceptance
and the storm supplied my tears.
You're never coming back
You've reached the end of your years.

I grabbed the earth on which I knelt
and said a silent prayer.
I'll try to get to heaven,
so please, wait for me there.
This iniquitous demon
you pulled out from the mud
is trying hard to live
while you watch from above.

So wait just a little longer
as I try to save my soul.
I know I'm growing stronger,
not stuck in the muck below.
You are my saint and angel
so protect me in the night.
Help me with my demons
and take me to the light.

The robin sings its golden hymn,
the turtledove its coo.
While 'neath the spring of wet and damp
does life return anew.

The grass turns green, the snow to rain.
The trees bow to the sun.
As leaves sprout from their mighty boughs
where dewdrops drip and run.

Oh, how the old forgotten rot,
the sting of winter's wrath,
all melts away and heals in heat
as deer soon shed their racks.

A world rebirth so fondly sought
lest snows return again.
We seek the flower of new spring,
sweet solace such to send.

You sent me to the earthly world on a mission.
To save all those I possibly could.
To protect humanity from Lucifer's hands
and save all of those who are good.

I'm sorry to say, I have failed You.
I've given up on all hope.
The only thing that can save them
is the forgiveness you have shown.

At first, I had faith, and I saved many.
But over time, it grew hard to work.
And as soon as I'd save one,
ten others would end up getting hurt.
The demons running rampant on the earthly world below
have destroyed everything sacred and taken a new form.
Their disguise is flawless and fooled even my eyes.
They are now the humans who continue to harm.

I couldn't understand it,
all the evil in human hearts.
But I soon found out
it was the demons tearing them apart.
The humans let them in and slowly watched as they grew.
They are working with Satan against everything You do.
I was disgusted by my discovery and tried to finish your work.
I lied to myself.  But as I went on, I knew it to be true.

It was time to get my hands *****.
I began killing those who'd known.
And something in me grew.
It infected every bone.
I could feel a fire in me as it devoured my senses.
It made me feel invincible as I killed the greatest sinners.
I felt no remorse.  Besides, this is what You wanted.
And I became known as the Demon Killer.

I realized the work ahead of me
and returned to heaven.
But they wouldn't let me in
because I was too human.
Forgiveness, they told me, was Your most gracious love
You gave to the humans and those who needed it most.
They took away everything from me and sent me back to Earth,
While criticizing my actions and banishing me from my home.

They deemed me a fallen saint,
an angel with stubbed wings.
I'd descended into darkness
and they abandoned me in my suffering.
I grew angry with their decision and kept working the way I did.
Killing all the sinners and wrongdoers of this land.
You sent after me angels, the ones who were my friends.
But You made me become a demon, and they were slain by my hand.

Then, the darkness I was fighting crept into my soul
and ate from inside me the last of my righteousness.
I saw the light flicker away and disappear from my life.
But I knew my actions would be rewarded for my perseverance.
Madness overtook me and evil coursed through my blood.
Satan had taken me, an angel, and made me one of is kind.
I hated myself for what I had done, and what I continued to do.
But there was no other way to save them that I could find.

The pain dragged me down;
it plunged me into Hell.
And I became trapped
in my shrinking cell.
It didn't make sense.  Nothing did.  And nothing ever would.
This pain was too much for me; this evil burning through my flesh.
I searched desperately for an answer to the problems plaguing me,
but I found none.  Unless...

I had already found the answer.
The solution to my pain.
Though I saw it a different way
until I went insane.
Death was the answer.  I was right all along.
Other humans had come up with it before me.
I can't handle the weight of sin.  I doubt I ever could.
But this answer is the only way to be free.

The blood on my hands
stained the stairs I climbed.
Higher and higher
as my past was left behind.
And out here on the edge
overlooking this cruel, doomed existence,
I ask You a single question,
my last ounce of resistance.

The birds have abandoned their songs
and here I am testing fate.
I let go of this world
and of everything I hate.

My question...

Here I am, a human,
an angel with stubbed wings,
fighting with God
and Satan, the Demon King.
I know what I've done wrong
and I'm sorry about it all.
But I want to experience forgiveness
before jumping off this wall.

So...

Will you catch me if I cannot fly,
or will you watch me die?

What are these droplets upon my face?
Tears?  No.
I call them weakness.

A single word entered my mind
and exited with ease,
but behind it lay a trail of blood
streaking the muddied ground.
It led into the dark abyss
that ne'er been touched by light,
for the eclipse of a new moon
watched the silent and endless night.
I held my lantern higher still
to pass the foggy way,
suppressing my fears with every step
beside the glowing flame.
And in the brewing clouds above,
contorted faces screamed.
They howled and wailed in hopeless song,
demanding to be freed,
but their cries were never to be heard
and fell upon deaf ears,
and once aware, they wept and sobbed,
watering the forest with their tears.
The trees hadn't a need for rain;
they were already dead,
so it pooled along the path I strode
where the blood had once led.
In the darkness, glowing eyes
studied the earth where I had stepped
and whispered foul expressions;
things I shall never forget.

I clutched the lantern tighter,
but the flame was almost out.
It flickered before being swallowed
by the unforgiving gloom.
Then from the shadows echoed the word
between the crooked stone,
and with it a flurry of voices
of the people I had known.
The screeching wind--with its sharp fangs--
whipped me until I knelt
and cowered in horror,
hiding the pain I felt.
These waking dreams tormented me
but offered me a deal.
Continuous temptations made me think,
"this isn't real."
Were it not for this thought,
but in my other ear,
the devil whispered to me
exactly what I wanted to hear,
I would be gone.  But the promise of light
compelled me to open my eyes,
and the wind had blinded me
from seeing the demon's lies.
The temptations were too strong,
and the devil led me away.
Death still lingers o'er the forest
that shall never see the day.

The death gods breathed upon the earth
Sending upon us the winter most despise
The cold devoured all of the life
of every living thing in their abode

It ate into the people and creatures of the land
freezing all in its expanding domain
The world hung in melancholy suspension
As the universe itself began to slow

Such fragile beings of finite existence
Enshrouded by tendrils of ice
and blanketed by the climbing frost
Unable to escape the prevailing cold

The frigid force conquered all in its wake
Taking everyone hostage in its glacial arms
and giving some to the death gods
whenever their fangs showed

But the lasting winter kingdom was doomed to fall
As it did every year before
And spring fell onto the earth
to melt away the ghastly cold

Gone and replaced by the warm sun
the cold was disdained and forgotten
Its true meaning lost in time
only known by the gods of old

The cold brought rebirth, a chance to restart
It takes life but gives back much more
a sense of belonging to those of this world
as life was given back through melting snow

It takes some, yes, but instills in others
a will, a desire for more than to survive
But still, it is hated by most of the world
Its reason of being forever unknown

The rain fell like snow
A mist above the ground
Gentle as the flakes of winter
Warm as the last days of summer
echoing whispers of birdsong
permeating the air

What was it called again?
That quiet strength it brings
right the wrongs of yesterday
calico thoughts turned to grey
remember the happiness I once had
and form another memory

Imagine a wasp
With no stinger, no threat
Would you still hate them?

What is white?
The amalgamation of all color
combined into a pure beam of light
not turned a muddy brown

And how is this true?
A storm of emotions not resulting in chaos
but in order through
a single shade

White like the snow
White like bones
pure as holy
fair as just
What is white?

There is no real white
no truth, no right
All stained by some other color
because even the most beautiful, wonderful things
have a shadow

Do you feel it?
The disease eating away at your heart?
It slumps in decay and filth,
black with rot and throbbing to the beat of the maggots.
It never starts this way, though.
It grows from the innocence of childhood
into the monster that is truth.

Everyone is planted with a seed
doomed to sprout and overtake them.
It consumes our heart, the gateway to our soul,
and spreads its rot to others.
Eventually, we all end up wilted,
limp with the pain emanating
from every fiber of our beings.

Life is silly that way.
It's a puzzle in every aspect of the word.
You try to finish only to realize
you're missing a single piece.
And as you search for it upon the ground,
everything else begins to crumble.
If left alone, it will atrophy away
and vanish as if it never existed.

They asked why I wanted to commit suicide.
I twisted their words and asked them the same thing.
Is there any point in living?

They said I play a role in the world.
I wondered whether or not the universe was wrong
or if I was always meant to be in pain.

They said I had a family that loved me.
I asked if bruises and burns were signs of their love.

They said I had friends who depended on me.
I asked if friends steal your food and money.
Were friends supposed to put me down
and treat me like the trash I am?

They said I had something to live for.
I inquired as to what that could be.

They said they cared about me.
I called out their desperate attempt to stop me.
Did you care about me before you knew anything?
Are you just saying sweet things to get close to me
only to leave me behind like the rest?

They said everyone makes mistakes.
I told them, the only mistake in my life
was existing in the first place.

I explained the paradigm I discovered.
Those who feel the most pain
have the darkest hearts.
Once it's all rotten and wilted,
the monster takes over and shows them the truth.
The only meaning in life
is death.

Everything is made only to die.
We serve no true purpose,
just existing to cease existing.
A never-ending cycle I wanted no part of.

They refuted my claim, but I could see
they were still searching for that lost puzzle piece.
Purpose.
They thought it had fallen when in reality,
it was never placed in the box.

They said I was mistaken.
They were right.
Living was a mistake.