Quantified to the last--
Every freckle, each fluttering lash.

To the debt of necessity I am tethered;
I can't afford life's priceless treasures.

Calculated: now are numbered
Even that which philosophy wonders.

My love, my life, my ambivalent faith:
Measured out to the hundredths place.

Reproduced for mass consumption--
Trivialized by the deduction.

Weigh my heart, buy my soul,
Celebrate the dream you stole.

What words would I have written then
If my fate had lied within?
Stories remembered? Studied lines?
Or eroded by passing time?

Being swept off my feet--taken by surprise.
It won't be the thrill, just the look in your eyes.
Spontaneous adventure, you have carefully planned.
It won't be the trip, just that moment hand in hand.
Pouring rain--a cliched kiss.
But when you're gone, that's not what I'll miss.

It'll be the pecks on my lips as we're hurried to leave.
The quite moments spent listening to you breathe.
The easy silence.
Effortless talk.
Meaningless laughter.
Aimless walks.

The grand gestures make it fun and wild--
But the little things make it all worth while.
If you ever grow wary--if we ever part--
It'll be losing the simple bits that will break my heart.

This little trifle with the devil
Has got me all ******* in knots.
I called out to the angels--
Never did get a response.

They are shrouded in the veil
Of evils justified,
But out here we are fighting
Because there is nowhere to hide.

I'm left battered and bruised
And utterly confused,
For what was once important
Is now insignificant and obtuse.

Listen to your demons;
They have a lot to say.
Consider, now, the chaos:
It can take your breath away.

Play the devils advocate:
Be shocked by your own speech.
Play with fire, dance with monsters,
Contemplate what they preach.

Hear the echoes in the silence,
Though the resonance is faint.
See the figures in the darkness
Meaning light still remains.

Stare into oblivion.
Embrace the great abyss.
Find beauty in the question:
Can nothingness exist?

And you think it is as simple
As telling black from white;
Little do you know, my love,
That it's just a trick of the light.