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Jan 2022 · 779
For Anthropos
Darkly Jan 2022
On this very large yet quite small ball of rock and water flying through space, memories of the words they shared find him every so often. And he wonders. And misses her.
Courtney.
Jun 2020 · 4.6k
Occupant
Darkly Jun 2020
Why does this darkness exist? The power to bring death and destruction

So quickly it came to rest at his fingertips–am I still human?

It appeared as a vortex of shadows–he thought it a hallucination

It was insane and all too real, he could not resist stepping into the swirling dark

He thought it meant the end, but he was wrong

The unending black, still, and quiet

He found security

What does it mean when the “inner you” is silent?

Black tower, his home, wherever it stands, a spiral stair, sharp spines, sheer design

Black throne, occupied

Black blade, the edge of balance, cutting through eternity

What is in between black and white?

This is the effect of light, across space and time

Sitting at the center of his world, thinking, brooding, asking questions you are afraid to answer

What do you see when you look into your own eyes?

Testing those who call for it, testing you

Making people prove themselves–do you really know what life and love are?

Digging deep, bearing water from the well of notions

What things do you do or say because of your fears?

I will not leave until I crack every porcelain mask
I am back, if only for a moment. ;~)
Feb 2020 · 175
The Sun (XIX)
Darkly Feb 2020
We haven't met yet, but...

I will tell you about the throne, blade, and tower. Those, that keep me company and safe when I feel like stepping off of the Earth, all black and cool. But also... likely an imminent doom.
And then, of the coral crown and silver sail–which I strive for. Maybe they will come in another life. Maybe... a dream.
Lastly, there is a realm. A small one, and fairly new. Covered in perpetual fog and colored a sepia hue. So far, it is only kept for those passing through.

It's all... lonely, despite how I may talk about these things. They're all reflections of me.

Don't worry though–you'll know this.
And at the end of a long march... strength.
Dec 2019 · 288
The Silence
Darkly Dec 2019
Black sky, the sun is on the other side

Four walls, a single bulb spreading pale light

Pages, filled with words of heart and soul

Twisting through the air, just out of reach

All that is felt, the absence of heat

Unquiet mind

I can't find the silence inside
Please universe, give me someone to talk to or let me sleep
Oct 2019 · 168
Untitled Work of Nonfiction
Darkly Oct 2019
I told someone that I would marry them.

And everything seemed well.

But as of right now, she disappeared almost a week ago.

I don't understand.

I don't even believe in marriage, but I would have done it for her.

I don't understand.

This is the second time.

I don't understand.

When was I cursed?

I don't understand.

I've wanted to be with someone since I was a child.

I don't understand.

Is this just how it's going to be for me?

I don't understand.
Oct 2019 · 279
A Face Without Eyes
Darkly Oct 2019
I can see the cracks on the inside of my porcelain mask





and they want my teeth to show
Jun 2019 · 215
How many more times
Darkly Jun 2019
Will I take the late night walk

Will I listen to those songs

Will I write about it

Will I watch someone walk out

before I have no more capacity to believe
Jan 2019 · 324
Lines
Darkly Jan 2019
I thought of how beautiful the lines in the skin of your hands are

Criss-crossing and running

I trace them in my head as they wrap around my heart
For those who feel deeply.
Jul 2018 · 767
Under The Ice
Darkly Jul 2018
The faces in the water, they sleep  

  for eternity, their tears

    frozen

                in
                    the



                 ­          deep.

The Frozen Lake of Souls
Jul 2018 · 934
Dear Cancer,
Darkly Jul 2018
I will never accuse you of being dramatic, because I know that your words and actions come straight from the heart.
Our greatest strength.
Darkly Jun 2018
Sleep.

The vast world of dreams, leaden as oceans deep.

In the depths we find our dear prince, but this time—dreamless—in a place of ether and temporal energy.

Woven throughout a nebula are paths of light leading to distant gates and far off doorways.

Plinths of stone floating about… Orbiting…

On one such path our prince finds himself, his means of arrival… not remembered.

If this is not a dream, then how can I be drawing breath? Where am I?

The luminous pink and blue gasses impart nothing. The twinkling dust scattered all around only twinkles.

This place is beautiful… and has such strong magic, on a scale I have not seen before.

Calypso looks to the path on which he stands. Made of energy, it winds, curves, dips, rises, and connects with many others. A few end at what appear to be large doorways… portals…

He starts to walk down the path.

With barely three steps taken, Calypso senses something… a slight breeze… he stops and turns to see a storm.

A massive squall line of dark rolling clouds with sporadic flashes of light emanating from within.

Thunder, ominous.

What brought that about?

No sooner had the question formed in his mind than he realized the speed at which the storm was traveling. In a mere minute, it seemed to have moved a mile closer; another minute and he will be in its clutches.

Tracing geometric patterns in the air with his hands and using words of enchantment, Calypso creates a sphere of magical energy around himself.

The storm, an unstoppable force of magic and nature, consumes the prince.

The shield, conjured by one of the most powerful sorcerers, holds.

There is darkness…

The clouds move around Calypso’s magic sphere, lightning flashes nearby and everything is lit for an instant. A moment passes, and the hairs on the back of his neck start to tingle…

And a massive bolt of lightning connects with his shield, turning its blue hue to fiery orange—and another arcs into the path close by—Calypso, eyes closed, is thrown from the path by the shockwave.

Through space, the prince flies…

On stone, does he land…

His shield, gone.

The hungry wind starts sweeping him from the plinth—lightning flashes—he finds a hold and grips the stone with all of his strength.

But such is the strength of the wind… Is this it, then?

And in an instant, the storm passes, the wind moves on…

Silence.

Calypso pulls his battered body to the middle of the floating stone and stands. His wonder, greater than anything he had felt before. Moments pass… he senses something…

A slight breeze…

He turns and looks.

Out in the distance, in the void between the stars… a silver sail.
;~)
Jan 2018 · 342
Meaning
Darkly Jan 2018
On some nights, when I am driving and there are no other cars around, I will close my eyes and see how long I can go without opening them.

At first, it doesn't feel like you're moving forward at thirty, forty miles an hour. It's more like... you're floating. It is void-like—but with road noise.

And then the wheel drifts, causing you to open your eyes and correct your trajectory.

Sometimes I wonder how things would turn out if I just kept them shut.
Nov 2017 · 265
Jouska
Darkly Nov 2017
"Waiting for a gallant knight in shining armor to arrive and sweep you off your feet?

Sorry, but those ******* don't exist.

Mine does."
As you like it.
Nov 2017 · 300
Sometimes
Darkly Nov 2017
I wonder what it would be like if gravity released it's hold on me.

And I just floated into space, traversing the cosmos.

Until I die.

That wouldn't be so bad.
Oh look it's like three o'clock in the morning. Again.
Nov 2017 · 353
Oh, Humanity
Darkly Nov 2017
The sun doth send it’s rays twixt the buildings
along with the sky and it’s hue is reflect’d

in the mirrors across the little street
in a little town filled with little people

and I sit in a little chair at a little cafe
when the thought which the sun’s rays hath lit

We’re all full of ****.
So my writing isn't great. Kick me.
Oct 2017 · 303
Solace
Darkly Oct 2017
"Pendleton, double and neat."

I take a moment to let my mind get back to earth.

Funny, eh? People talking loudly, dim lighting and tv screens.

But the people here talk happily.

And so I choose to surround myself with laughter, so that I may feel a little lighter.
Breakups never get easier.
Oct 2017 · 383
Rift
Darkly Oct 2017
Someone said that we all bleed red.

But I know better.

I know the difference between those born with a lot and those who are not.
Tags
Sep 2017 · 425
Smoke
Darkly Sep 2017
And in twenty-something years, after love and heartbreak, joy and sorrow. After so many lessons learned and good times had, and all of the ups and downs. With all of the people I've met, and through a stroke of luck, the people I've helped...

I have come to realize that I don't know anyone.


The darker corners of your mind, the condition it's in. Like hunger.

It's not something that goes away.


Empty.


All is lost.
Aug 2017 · 323
Erasure
Darkly Aug 2017
You come to me as a silhouette, seemingly blank and devoid of color. I take one look at you and then with every crossing of a "t" and dotting of an "i" you see what you truly are.

And you rise to such great heights. Never again to feel the shadows far below.

A distant memory.

But now, have I caused you to reflect?

I suppose I have a way of
drawing people in.
2:00 am
Aug 2017 · 267
Our Newest Release
Darkly Aug 2017
"A man walks in and asks for a water
then proceeds to sit in a corner and engage in conversation with himself

He's packing grey knives but he's too afraid to brandish them on the chance that he'll get his **** thrown away

He laughs, but he's the only one who is laughing."
I heard they released a bunch of people from the local penitentiary, but I didn't know that included inmates from the psych ward.
Aug 2017 · 408
Sidewalk
Darkly Aug 2017
Your watch is two minutes faster than mine.
Am I just behind the times?
Jul 2017 · 591
Letter
Darkly Jul 2017
You belong to a group of people who are the world’s most hypocritical. You follow a god that supposedly teaches love and compassion yet you have shown me that there is little room for those two qualities within your soul. Instead of living in harmony with others you exercise dominion with an iron grip. If I didn’t know any better I’d think you were taking the phrase “…next to godliness” to heart. You are a sheep that grazes in a pasture of guilt and fear. I can share a roof with my father, but I cannot fathom how anyone could share one with you.
Jun 2017 · 428
"It's like..."
Darkly Jun 2017
“It’s like you’ve been trying to get to the big city, okay?

And you’ve been walking barefoot on a freeway—a freeway through a forest.

You’ve been walking for a long time. Weeks. Months. Years.

And for a moment, you decide to step off of the pavement.

It’s that initial step, brain-sending-signals-to-your-legs, initial point of contact nerve endings-sending-signals-to-your-brain.

It’s the difference between earth and pavement.

Breathe.

Do it, you won’t.”
the consequences of rubber sunglasses
Mar 2017 · 595
Seriously Curious
Darkly Mar 2017
"You know that time--it's different for everyone--when it gets so late that you start laughing at your own terrible humor? When you get buttery?"

"I mean, I'm talking about when you're home alone and making that 1am macaroni and cheese, and one of your precious hairs falls into the near-boiling water... So you quick-as-an-ice-ninja reach down and pluck that piece of blasphemous fiber from your brew of sustenance while shouting 'DANGEROUS PLAYS'"

sigh

"And then you toddle on over to Jell-O Pottery thinking you should sling your half-kneaded clay in people's faces."


"Goodness gracious."
Oh beloved, it is sorrow until you return to me.
Mar 2017 · 648
And the Ceaseless Stare
Darkly Mar 2017
I could twiddle my thumbs as the world is stained a sepia hue; look at the room's corners until they replace my psyche

I could sit with endlessly repeating notes playing through my head

And words that never leave, either

I... when keys and pages are old and lifeless

Sit

And listen

Only the wind can be heard howling between the spires above

There is no sun

Only moonlight coldly illuminating the stone around me

I am the master

The occupant

The Keeper
Can I sleep now?
Feb 2017 · 626
Ardent Hearts
Darkly Feb 2017
“On this dread field we gather. Our blades, sharp. And the drums echo the beat of our ardent hearts.”

                            
Singing and slaying, a picture painted darkly
                                
an instant illuminated, like a war among the stars

made by lightning and the rain

                              
Hoping but knowing, this could be the last chapter
                                                  
and how the world is in your sight, between the flashes of steel

is marked by the courage in your eyes

                                                        
A chorus of thunder follows our voices, bounding over the field of death
                                                      
tonight we all live by the second and strive against darkness with every breath
Feb 2017 · 1.4k
Sea of Stars
Darkly Feb 2017
Let me pull you through this as
gently all the little things you see
reach out and pluck you from the home you keep

Uncertain steps to somewhere
this can only be a dream
what does it mean

What does it mean

In the arms of the aetherial gale
caught
I am not sure
it’s like I’ve been here before

Once mighty wings now
encased in silken threads again
I close my eyes with a hand in the well of notions

Welcome to infinity
awoken to be put to sleep
the wave is calling for me

Where is the key
to the gate
who is the keeper
to the kept

The darkest part of distant space
the deepest fathoms in a lightness place
no
child
there is no abyss
no nothingness
it all exists to flow
These are lyrics from my personal music project, Mars Orca.
Dec 2016 · 351
Transitions
Darkly Dec 2016
The sun sets
The world goes quiet
My sight clears with the fading light

Leading steps
A familiar path
I forget what I leave behind...

The trees whisper among themselves as I walk along, going nowhere in particular. At last, I come across a familiar gate.

creeeeak

It's always a pleasure.
This time it's bells.
Dec 2016 · 569
Visual Eyes
Darkly Dec 2016
the voices on the outer edge are chiming in
with the thing you hold that peels your skin
blink again another second like a needle through your head
colorful notes without a sound like everything that wasn't said
A test of sorts. Putting down the first thoughts and words that surface.
Dec 2016 · 1.7k
Crystal Castles
Darkly Dec 2016
What your eyes see are things that your mind cannot comprehend

Beware the blasted wastes beneath the light of the frozen moon

Fields of flame full of pasts and futures of endless unborn dead

You gaze upon an expanse that tears at your soul

This is the place where all things come to their end it seems

Hope not to find shade under The True Liar’s Monolith--ruins will remain of you too

Oh the hubris of man who tries to map the whimsy of the gods

Dancing landmarks
On the page
Never coming
To rest twice in the same place

At the center of the maze sits the changer of ways
created and sustained by desire

The Architect of Fate

“I could let you wander for eternity with your shattered mind, but that’s not my plan for you.”
“You are a drop in a sea of thought, locked in mortality, but as long as humanity has hope I will be here.”
“Go now, and make waves; I will be watching.”

Cast from the hidden library of chattering pages and numberless faces, he leaves the great plotter’s realm of chaos

With a mind still whole--new knowledge and memories buried deep
Inspired by another world.
p.s. feel free to suggest edits
Dec 2016 · 885
Lullaby
Darkly Dec 2016
Feel the snow beneath your feet

As every light goes out

No more pulse, no more pain

Only cold

Eternal peace
Good night.
Dec 2016 · 694
Winter Blues
Darkly Dec 2016
I don't want to leave
"We are closing in fifteen!"
It's cold as **** out
And my car is gonna be freezing. A coffin of cold steel for a lonely heart.
Darkly Dec 2016
"...I'm sorry, but reading 'An Introduction to Probability' won't help you with this sort of thing. I mean, I believe there is the possibility that we will fall in love."

pause

"But what do I know?"
We get in the way of ourselves too often.
Nov 2016 · 1.3k
Dear Human,
Darkly Nov 2016
"...and then we get up at the **** crack of dawn, eat cereal for breakfast, take a cool shower to put some pep in our steps, then get in the car and drive around listening to our favorite music until the coffee shop opens."

pause

"And when we've finished our morning coffee and people-watching we walk around town looking at all the crap we want to get when we've saved up enough money for it and then get a slice of pizza or something. You know what happens next? We take our favorite books or whatever and go chill in a hammock that we set up in a corner of the college campus. You want me to bring my guitar so you can listen to the silly ditties I come up with on the spot? Sure. You want to go to a movie? Just say the word."

pause

"I don't really care what we do, as long as we're content. I'm just throwing out ideas."

pause

"I just want to give."

puts down mic and walks off stage
Once more with feeling.
Nov 2016 · 605
"...With That Look"
Darkly Nov 2016
And then they pack up their textbooks and laptop, don their jacket, and boom bop shablamy on out.

And you're left with ****.

Oh, ****.
I apologize for this.
Darkly Nov 2016
Do you know what comes after dusk?

For all we have going for us, brilliant colors and blinding light,
in the end - after the warmth - we are left with only our sight.

Tell me, young soul, when was the last time you had a stone to throw? Do you know what comes after dusk?

Magic and fairy dust.

Like the tongues behind our teeth and the blades at our hips, the course we have set is precise. Lines of timeless quality - fab hair and frazzling personalities - my dear, the view from up here is quite nice.

No need to thank us - we take pleasure in the simple fact that we're saving your *** from a miserable life.
Que the Ratatat soundtrack.
Oct 2016 · 740
"Jaded?"
Darkly Oct 2016
adjective
Tired, bored, or lacking enthusiasm, typically after having had too much of something.

"What? Would you like a crown and scepter to go along with that golden throne you've built out of your expectations? You put so much into one person that you don't want to try it again because you didn't get what you wanted in return? Good lord. This world has bred some spineless humans. I'm sorry, but it's all on you."

pause

"I don't know, call me a sociopath. Whatever."
I'm sorry, but not sorry. Sometimes I think about ****. I'm only human.
Oct 2016 · 730
"Ya got the spoots, kid."
Darkly Oct 2016
Hey.

I know it's difficult to keep your mind in the present. Why do you think I'm here?

But you know, some day, that person looking at you from across the room will walk up to you and say the **** you've been waiting to hear for a thousand years.

Don't give up.  You owe it to yourself.
Plant some flowers or something.
Oct 2016 · 2.1k
Deathless
Darkly Oct 2016
"Hold the light closer, it is going to fade. For something lurks at the edges of dreams had by the mortal…"

Shadows cast, raven’s flight
Over stone, beyond the grave
Bringing forth, a thing of dread
The hand of death, a twist of fate
Inspired by a video game character and a glass of cranberry coconut juice. Also, I'm thinking about making this into a song. Feel free to send me ideas for more lyrics or a chorus and whatnot. 'Tis the season.
Oct 2016 · 993
The Keeper
Darkly Oct 2016
Tick tock says the clock
I might take a walk
I have counted all the cracks
In every single pane of glass
Look outside beyond the wall
All those trees growing tall

I turn and I am swallowed
By this space that I have made
Sinking through the tiles I have placed

Waking up to the moon's bright gaze
Tick tock it could be too late
Quickly don your twisted shape

Stepping lightly along the path
Following shadows that cover the grass
Why did I leave?

I close my eyes and listen to the whispering breeze...
Following "Obscured Spires".
Oct 2016 · 446
Another Second Of Then
Darkly Oct 2016
I haven't looked up from my computer in a while...



Oh, yep, she's still beautiful.


I guess I'll write a thing about it...
I'm wearing orange today. I never wear orange.
Oct 2016 · 943
Obscured Spires
Darkly Oct 2016
There is a place caught between this one and another.

Found in cracks running along walls and in the space between trees during the night.

Hidden in the deeper dark, held in endless twilight.

A place, where in looking long enough, you may find the shadows looking back.

This small world, filled with the skittering and scuttling of small things and the glint of small eyes in the everblack.

Do not worry.

You are welcome in my realm.
Be sure to set some tea out for me. It's getting to be that time again.
Darkly Oct 2016
Patron: "...And can you add the diced Hamlet to that omelette?"

Waiter: "Jolly good sir, and do you know if you'll be having dessert?"

Patron: "Oh yes, I'll have a strawberry Shakespeare."

Waiter: "Brilliant, your omelette will be out before you can say 'Ides of marshmallow'."

Patron: "That was dreadful and you know it."

Waiter: "Deary me, sir."

END SCENE
What the flippity flop. Who in the pooty comes up with this... oh. That would be me.
Oct 2016 · 660
Out Of The Ruined Place
Darkly Oct 2016
Born into a world and taught to dream and die
To have a life but not at the same time

Never shown how to see when the assumed outcome is not met
You followed each step accordingly, what did you expect to get?

What will you do if perfect does not exist?
And digging deeper leaves a hole that can't be refilled

Go and get over, give yourself a rest
The throne of want is the first step
Hand me a guitar and I'll play a song, but only one that I know. Hand me a sandwich and I'll eat it, but only if I'm hungry.
Sep 2016 · 1.4k
Everyone And Their Fruit Bat
Darkly Sep 2016
On black leather wings
The flying fox comes
A shadow given life
With the death of the sun
Also known as Megabats, they are too freakin adorable. Agh.
Sep 2016 · 1.3k
"...And Grace."
Darkly Sep 2016
After taking a second look, I have come to the conclusion that stargazing is overrated.

And after much consideration, reflection, and even rumination, I am left with the notion that whatever people think that makes them happy, isn't really what makes them happy.

If I found a door that opened to anywhere, I would step through it.
We never know what's good for us. If I had a mic I'd drop it.
Darkly Sep 2016
Killing pies at the          of a ceiling,
                                drop

When you start I'll never stop screaming

"PLEASE DON'T SHAKE THE PRUNE TREE".

Have you ever seen a raven fly at night?

It's like straining your eyeballs through a screen door,

as baby moths play with your hair.
Throwback to the pondering of a high school student slinging clay in Mr. Kofler's pottery class and inspired by the illustrations of yours truly.
Sep 2016 · 730
Asystole
Darkly Sep 2016
I am flatlining.

I can see my life projected out and witness all of my goals achieved. So many accomplishments. Everything I've ever wanted to do. And yet...

I feel empty.

As I feel now, sitting here with an empty head filled with light from the computer screen. It's so late that it's early.

We all arrive here, sometimes.


When was the last time your hand touched someone else's?
I'm not even a long distance runner.
Sep 2016 · 10.9k
Winter Heart
Darkly Sep 2016
There are some who may prefer a cloudless sky and the touch of a warm sun. These hearts are similar climates, and you may find them at no great distance from the equator.

Not mine.

My love is for the sedge and moss covered upland of frozen lakes, where the cold white blanket covers the steppes. Peace is found here, among the ice and whispered within the biting gale as it travels over her skin.

Her chill breath touches me, and I am not driven away.
For within my chest beats a fire as black as space between the stars.

And I go unclothed, as the caribou carry me across the frozen land.

I am the horned god.
Like I said. Frayed hair dipped in barbecue sauce. I can't even.
Darkly Aug 2016
For ages, this mind has known only a deep sleep and the sound of silence
Entombed in a preserving chamber during a time of violence

The last grain of etherium joins the rest at the bottom of the glass
Ancient magic begins to flow, lighting the runes carved into the sarcophagus long ago

Deep within
The mind stirs
Coming back to consciousness

Pulling away the cobwebs covering the senses and remembering what it’s like to breathe
Dusting off the memory of a cool stone coffin… Is that what is felt underneath?

A faint blue glow brings life to the eyes, telling the mind it is time to rise

Right… it’s been a while, Motor Cortex

Muscles twitch, joints creak and limbs push on the cover of stone
Stone that doesn’t move a millimeter

Oh… I remember

Fingers find the glowing rune on the side
A hundred more runes come to life, and the lid opens wide

The eyes adjust and perceive
A small room filled with old air and covered in the dust of time
And showing the way out, leading to the door
A trail of runes, one by one, in a line

Okay legs

Hands meet a door that has not been met in over a hundred lifetimes
The mind is sure, it is time for fresh air
A return to life, one where the sun shines

Here we go

The seal is broken, the door opens, the dust of time is stirred
Hair flutters, clothes billow, skin feels…

Ah, my old friend, I am so glad you are still here.





It has been a long, long time.
Inspired by another world.
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