A rekindling of an old friendship
One many years forgotten
Begin with but a word; an image.
Hello.

Memories from a time removed
Flood back into reality
Do you remember the orange hat?
I do.

Let us talk and be merry
A moment to reconnect
Swap our tales and woes as we go.
I see.

Let’s get that beer, so to speak
Embrace this night
And all the ones we missed.
Why not.

They say the end is near
An empty prediction
Nay, an estimation.

Media man spreads the word
Like an unforgiving pestilence;
Fan the flames a little more.

Did you hear the news?
Of course you did,
It’s embedded in our mind.

The sirens blare
Our panic will have to wait
Time now for our commercial break.

…

Tell me a story, Grandpa
Of a time before the screen
I’ll listen here upon your knee.

A time with hope; peace of mind
Before we knew too much
We were never meant to hold such empathy.

Where man was free
Of distant tragedy, when
Smiling wasn’t such a rarity.

…

Let us interrupt this tale
Welcome back to reality
Now tell us all that
Tomorrow may never come.

Say it again the day after next
The one after that and more.
We will remain with vigilance
Eventually you’ll be right.

At least for now,
We have our memories.

The evening air
The smell of pine
The grass tickles

Perched on the edge
Looking out
Over the city,
See the lights.

Olive, they call her
Because of her hair
That rustic green
Defines her now.

A gentle breeze
The strands sway
A gentle sigh
She is at peace

The moonlight shines
Through her emerald eyes
Her skin so pale; she looks so frail

Nothing to do
She’s free to ponder
To aspire, to wonder
To watch the bees

As the sun sets lower
And the shadows grow long

A final sigh, she calls it a night
But she’ll be back, as soon as there’s light.
To rest once again
In nature’s delight.

A steady heartbeat,
A silent breath,
A Slowing clock.

They’re watching; waiting.
Take the shot, Take the cup.

The timer counts down
3..2..1

Shatter.

Vision blurred
Heart racing
Sweat dripping
Head swaying
The floor rises

Thump.

They’re watching; running.
Come on, get up. Take the shot.

Silence. Darkness. Peace.


Flashing lights
Sirens crying; howling
Voices everywhere
Hands touching

Weightless
Rising
Up
Up
And in.

Count down for me
3..2..1
Sleep.
.
.
.
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
Open your eyes, Take the shot.

Dimly lit, shed the tears.

Weak
Afraid
Lost
Confused

Beep.

Mother’s here
Don’t leave me, dear

Beep.

Did we win

Beep.

You took the shot.

Beep. Beep. Beep.
3..2..1
Sleep.

A Word

            There you are
                Sitting so peacefully,
                    Typing away at your keyboard.

            I'm gazing upon your beauty,
                Wishing for more.
                    Will you notice me?

            "Come look at this."
                You say to me, so I walk on over to see,
                    A video and nothing more.

A Sentence

            We meet again; months have passed as
                We look around this new class.
                    It is with recognition that we sit together.

            Day after day, week after week,
                We listen, we chat, we study and test.
                    Together we learn what this man has to teach.

          
A Paragraph

            Help, you're in need of
                A babysitter with no time to wait.
                    "Can you help me?"

            I'm here for you, happy to help!
                Time and again, I'll watch her for you.
                    Such a delight, she shows me the light.

            Our friendship grows with each passing day
                A coffee, a visit, a walk, a lunch break,
                    Our bond grows stronger as time passes us by.

A Page

            The child already knew,
                Long before either of us.
                    Until a friend asks and we're together at last

            No longer hiding it from ourselves,
                We begin to move forward as
                    Hand in hand, we tackle this world.

            We run, we play, we date, we love.
                With smiles and tears, and hugs and kisses,
                    With texting at night, and calling all day.
            
            Soon we find our own way, an apartment just for us,
                We've a family to raise, and experiences to make as
                    Our numbers grow with a baby on the way.

A Chapter

            Sickness befalls you, this pregnancy is hard,
                But I'll care for you as we fight for our child and
                    Together we will make it through.

            Every day that I watch you lying in bed
                I am wishing I could take this pain from you
                    But all I can do is stand by and try to help.

            So many hospital visits, so many needles,
                Until the day we have been striving for arrives.
                    Today our son will join us in the light.

            He has left you so weak, you can barely stand.
                As you recover, time goes on and our love grows stronger
                    Until, sure in my decision, I buy the ring.

An Epic
            A picnic in peace among the trees.
                A question I ask, your eyes full of joy
                    A tackle more than a hug, yes of course you will.
            
            We tell the littles, the excitement grows and
                We begin to plan, how will it go?
                    Hurry not, we have time to decide

            A quiet ceremony to follow,
                A Monday dressed in purple
                    I do, and so do you.

            Smiles and love from all around us,
                We feel it in our hearts, we're on the right track
                    It is time to move forward, no looking back.
                    

A Novel

            We find a bigger home and are
                Settled at last, our rhythm restored,
                    We live happily for awhile until...

            A rumble, a quake,
                Our world begins to shake,
                    Filling with judgement, blame, anger and hate

            We begin to fight, to dissipate.
                We heal and break, time after time.
                    We're both wearing thin.

            Do we stay together?
                Do we put up a fight?
                    Do we make the call, will it be alright?

            
            Looking for a resolution
                We tried to make it work but
                    Every attempt only made it worse,
                    

An Ending

            I have given up, I've let go of hope.
                I have stopped the clock, it ticks no more.
                    We couldn't keep it up, we've broken down.

            Although your tears hurt me,
                They do not persuade
                    And it is with a heavy heart that I walk away.

An Epilogue

            I've moved out, we have gone our ways.
                But I am not gone, my kids shall not be without.
                    Yet come today, I find there's no going back

            We've fought our fights and talked our talks,
                We'll find our new rhythm and learn to coexist,
                    But we both know that things will never be the same.

            Our past is what makes us, we would never undo it
                Now at a distance we stand, no longer hand in hand
                    As we gaze over the horizon and look to the future.

Her hair is red on a cotton dress of blue
Her voice has that spice that makes me a fool
But the hair is falling, the dress now a gown
The honey ***'s gone shallow, you're leaving town
Shadows have overcome, the sky's begun to pout
We have come to learn that you are on your way out
My world begins to shake, the walls continue to crumble
Once again on your feet, you begin to stumble
Your eyes stil sparkle, your lips quiver
You cannot be saved from what's within your liver
You once said to me "Don't cry when I flee"
If I do not, what will that make of me?
The years we have walked; the miles we traveled
The laughs we talked; the secrets kept raveled
I wish to carry you away from the light
Take your hand and help you win this fight
A turn for the worst was the doctor's vote
The memory of you I shall forever tote
The hair is on the floor, the dress hung out to dry
Buy tell me my darling, why must you die?

Little Agnes sits alone hugging beloved teddy tight.
The lights have gone, the sun long since fallen.
The sickly odors fill the room.

Creaking floorboards, the foundation settles,
the howling wind and tapping branches.
A shudder deep traces her spine.

Mommy had gone away again. Off to work she claims.
Agnes knows the truth, one she mustn't share.
She knows more than she ought, costing precious sleep.

The minutes drag on, each an hour long
whispers of her mind growing stronger.
The words have formed, now to invoke.

Majka živi, ​​majka saznaje.
Ovo je igra koju neću igrati.

Round and round, Agnes chants.
Again and again the words repeat.
Echos shake the walls; rattle her soul.

Precious child, corrupted now.
Mr. Teddy begins to grow.

Eyes glow crimson, fangs sharpened.
Ears pull back as rumble becomes growl
Teddy will keep her safe, at the peril of those who would disagree.

The door **** turns, creaking hinges
announcing mommy's return.
She calls for little Agnes, summoning to her side.

Tonight Agnes does not respond, does not come.
Holler again to no avail, mommy begins to search.

Down the hallway, second on the right.
Reach for the handle that meets with mommy's hip
as the door bursts to splinters.

Mr. Teddy is on duty, mommy screams amidst the fangs and claws
ripping at the flesh.
Pain and terror overcome as she gazes past her demise, little Agnes sitting there with her baby blue eyes.
The last she will ever see as darkness overcomes.
The pain fades, the sounds lost, farther and farther into eternal night.
Mommy breaths no more.

Still Agnes sits, watching her guardian shrink back down.
His eyes dull, fangs recede,
Growl returns to rumble and fades altogether.
His job complete.

Slowly standing, precious Agnes crosses to the door.
She kneels next to mommy and pulls beloved teddy from her chest.
Back to the bed, holding teddy tight.
Agnes breathes a sigh of relief and calmly falls asleep.

This one, signed as myself and not my pen name, is a new step for me, I've never really put myself into my work, but this one is all me. Thus, it is called:
.

BARED SOUL

Life moves on
and things become too real.
A wife. Kids. Career.
It’s too much, I want to run away.

Everything has changed with
my position in the world.
I’ve never fit in
Always the freak who knows no limits,
the one who sits alone and minds his own.

Never understood, never accepted.
Now a husband, a dad, still the same.
Always covering up myself; hiding
behind wit and cruelty.

A shield to disappear into,
Afraid to be me; to send up alone.
I used to know who I was but
now I’m not so sure.

It seems I have my life sorted out,
but am I really happy?

A question I always find myself asking
but can never answer.
I don’t think anyone knows the meaning of happiness,
or if it really exists.

Tonight I found myself holding her close,
and as I rested my head on her chest,
I quietly try not to cry.

It’s hard sometimes to keep it all in,
to hold strong so as not to lose myself,
it’s why I write as I do.

An outlet through a pen is all I have,
only the page wont judge,
won’t declare me a freak,
won’t know that something is wrong with me.

The thoughts I have,
my inability to empathize with other’s pain and loss.
It makes me wonder if I’m right for this world.

I’ve been to two funerals,
one I barely knew, the other I held dear.
And lost a grandfather who meant everything,
yet I never shed a tear.

I used to think that it was because I am strong,
but now maybe that isn’t so.

Who am I really?
I think I need to know.

With locks the color of a raven she kneels,
To place before me a life lost.

For this is my realm
where I hold true,
to the life devoid of light.

And she is but one of many,
a servant like the rest.
Now she kneels where few have knelt before.

She lifts her head to meet my gaze,
and though it was in defiance, I cannot help but falter.

The loss in her eyes is that of the others,
yet into my soul her gaze has burrowed.

One has long since been lost to reside in this place,
some more so than others.

And though I know her name not,
nor her story have I heard,

I cannot look away as a single tear falls
and lands upon the life lost,

To land upon that Ebony Rose.

Here I kneel at the river's edge,
Gazing out at the life beyond the tear in my eye.

I can still see you sitting next to me by our log,
years ago when we shared our first picnic.

I'm remembering the way we used to run through these trees
and swim through those currents,

the scent of your jasmine perfume
following us wherever we go.

I can almost smell it now as I hang my head
and lay this bouquet upon your tear soaked resting place.

The darkest of skies
bring forth creatures of
inhumanity. From us they feed,
terror, sorrow, misery.

With their bottomless pits
that straddle the nose,
drawing us out, drinking us in. The
enchantment unbreakable.

Control is theirs alone, yes
they know. They hold the chips,
deciding out fates.
So we hide.

Yet from the screech of death
we cannot escape.
The sealing of ears does not suffice,
the horror penetrates the thickest of barriers.
Cowering, we wait

and watch the shadows
of these wingéd frights,
circling overhead in the hunt
to feed. Searching carefully
for a meal; for us. Until finally

the darkest of skies begin to lighten. The
damnedest of beings flee to their shelters,
fearing for their lives. And

should the young wake and see,
these creatures of death, would be to end
the airborne demons.

Fore it is the innocence of a child so small,
that they dare not corrupt.

The blazing sun beating down,
snowing no mercy.

The hills of sand hot to the touch,
no end in sight.

The cacti surrounding, growing stronger,
fairing much better than I.

The life within me growing faint
as I lay here dying, baking within,

The water in my canteen long since gone.
much like the moisture in me.

The end is here, my days are done,
this desert has brought me
sweet relief.

Whispering Shadows
Looming behind every corner,
Deadly Creatures
Waiting within.

Rivers of Blood
Flowing across wooden floors,
Forgotten Memories
Coming near.

Radiating Darkness
You are it's source.
Deadly Wishes
Seeking escape.

Excruciating Pain
Maintaining your sanity,
While Damning Forces
Battle within

A cloak of shadows worn,
A mask to cover all emotion,
to hide one's true self.

No one must know.
No one will know.

We are destined to live a life unseen.

Marching through the shadows
seeking shelter; vengeance.
For ourselves; For those who have betrayed us.

Marching through the shadows
lost within the void.
Inside this swamp; Inside our souls.

Marching through the shadows
looking for the light.
Of freedom; Of Peace.

Hidden in the night's embrace,
we seek innocence
but out pasts have left us none.

Beneath the skies so black,
we seek shelter
but life leaves us in an open field.

Under the shadows, we search
for one last meal,
but the soil was never fertile.

We wander these hill,
lost within ourselves
as we watch the world move on.

We have come to realize
that we aren't meant to be a part of it all,
as we watch the world move on.

We hang our heads,
so as to not lose faith in reality,
as we watch the world move on.

Through the cracks in the soil you grow,
with barely enough rain found to sustain your fragility.

With nothing to protect you but your thorns,
meant to draw the darkest of blood.

Yet you grow by moonlight, the sun too bright
to allow you to retain your petals so deep.

And here you waiting for that soul as lonely as you,
so as to find appreciation in one who understands.

You shall stay with this one until that day,
The day the petals wilt.

The faces of the night,
formed by air and fright,
are of the strongest barriers.

From a child so small,
to many so tall,
the barrier keeps us trapped.

We dare not attempt
to cross a wall so dense,
for what is the creatures are more than they seem?

They take to the street on this night of Halloween;
A night to celebrate; to feast unseen.

What is perceived as a mask,
of horns and decay,
Is in truth just the face of a nightmare ready to play.

For this is the night that
they have freedom to roam,
with no one to stop them from approaching a home.

The door is opened,
by a victim so bold.
and as she turns away, they leap from the cold.

In the blink of an eye,
they are ready to eat,
the last thing they heard being "Trick or Treat".

Tendrils of ebony slithering about,
looking to latch onto a soul so pure.

The purpose to drain the life within,
And raise it as their own; a creature of the dim.

The soul is ready,
the last of livelihood stripped away.

As from life comes death,
And from death is peace.
But peace turns to horror
As death becomes life.

They rise from the ground,
Hungry and ready to hunt.

Their tastes are unique,
They desire not a cow nor a horse,
Not a snake nor a rat.

They crave just one flavor,
And that flavor is you.

The moth flies in circles,
Forever distracted by the light.

Surely it must be the moon,
Telling it where to go.

Yet as long as it remains on,
The moth shall never escape.

For it is in the moth's nature
to always follow the light.

Until the time comes
that the moth is not but ash.

Reaching for a light
that cannot be had,
For it is but a mirage
hanging in the Blackness.

She dreams of a new way
to live the life she has forgotten,
Hoping to be released from
a life not worth remembering.

But a life of immortality
does not come with that choice.
A life without death is empty,
there's nothing to value when there is nothing to lose.

She is free to live her life
anyway she shall choose,
Yet she will spend eternity
reaching for that light.

These chains that bind us
shall never break.
We have worked to hard
to build them around us.

Slamming doors on those who don't understand,
turning the lock and throwing out the key.
Resigning to reside within ourselves.

Waiting in the shadows, we lurk
seeking out that one soul,
the one as lost as ourselves.

These chains that we bound ourselves with
shall never break; shall never release.
All we can do is wait for the one
who's chains fit with ours so well.

Wars are fought and people are lost.
Babies are born and grandmas die.
But this means nothing to someone who had nothing.

The world moves on, leaving us behind.
Time stands still as we watch it go.

The second hand flies, the minute hand close behind.
Hours tick by, days are gone in a blur.
Time never stops, just leaves us behind.

No one sees us, we keep to the shadows.
They walk past, not a care in the world.
At their hand, we are frozen in reality.

Tomorrow will come, but we will not know.
We remain on our own, without someone to hold,
living out our sentence, trapped in the clock of eternity.

his was war and this was what always happened in war.

The young and the strong
The young and the brave
The young and the weak
All die the same.

Other young people killed them.

Those who spent their lives moping about by themselves
would mope along right into their graves.

Those who were defiant
would defy until they dropped dead.

The maudlin would weep and the deal makers would bargain
and the jokers would joke.

But every last one of them would die.
For it is in death that we are truly equal.

The pendulum sways from side to side
counting the seconds that seem to drag on by.
From left to right and back again,
ever swinging, never caring.

When all at once we have moved on,
from tonkin trucks and toy voodoo dolls
to raising a family hidden in the shadows,

There comes a moment too late
when we realize we never went back again,
Never stopped to play pretend.

Assuring ourselves that all was well,
unaware that we were slipping away.
Though surrounded by so many, yet still alone,
we are left to stand amidst the blackened rain.

We have it all but we have forgotten
what it meant to be alive.
Clock in and out, work it all away
to live a life that we are living wrong.

Surrounded by it all
Wishing we could be free.
Free from having to flee
Free from the suffering of the greed.

Every day we wake, there is something new,
Another round of death for humanity
Be it the end of a celebrity’s sanity,
Be it a destructive cry of nature’s lament.

As time goes on, everything falls.
We are all here now, but forever it will not be.
Living out every moment we can is our own immortality.
Living out our lives, for all things will eventually disappear.

Death and destruction follow the human race, it is our way.
We build to break and love to hate.
But maybe this is how it is meant to be in the days before we’re at that gate.
But maybe someday our end will be for the best.

War and hate are the human ways,
...The purest of us, the gentle and kind,
Without them we wouldn't know how to fill our days.
...Cannot avoid having hate on their mind.
.
There will come a day, like all species before,
...Alike as well as those species by default,
When the human race will be no more.
...Our end too shall come at the humans' fault.
.
We wish and hope that our ways will change,
...But the reality tells us there is no way,
That we can find ways of living that aren't so strange.
...Death and destruction is just how we play.

They push, they ****, the beg and nag.
It's never enough, they want more.
We give and give, we hope and pray.
It's never enough, they want more.

These creatures walk our planet,
Living off her life, destroying her to live. But
It's never enough, they want more.

They build and create, entertainment and toys.
The planet destroyed for a moment of joy.
It's never enough, they want more.

These creatures think this world is theirs.
The other beings do not compare, even so
It's never enough they want more.

The tiles on the wall never change,
I've counted them all over again.
The number remains the same.

They are white like the warm milk of a baby's bottle,
And as square as any boring old tile before.
Some are cracked like I. Some are whole.

The cracks stay the same, and the paint doesn't change.
They are just here to exist. Here to please the eye.

They serve no real purpose yet tonight and tomorrow
And every day before and after, they are my world.

We have no control of the hands on the clock,
The minutes spin into hours and days are lost
As tomorrow becomes a yesterday gone.

Chronos himself waits not for us,
We forget to watch as our watch unwinds.
Memories are missed every day we couldn't wait.

Here we stand lost behind the minutes before
Unable to regain the time we rushed through.
We are too eager to speed things along
To realize that our time is limited.

To where shall we travel in this
dark and desolate world?

We could travel to the top of
the pyramids built by slaves.

We could travel to the wall,
that took the lives of many.

We could travel to the land in which
many died because of their "flawed" ways.

Or we could just stay here in this land
stolen from the natives before.

Now I ask you again,
as it is completely up to you.

To where shall we travel in this
dark and desolate world?

It is my soul he is here to claim
But perhaps I am not ready to go.
He stands there staring without eyes,
Waiting for my company.

My time has come, but I will not consent as I
Throw a punch and another. He cannot have me.
He is death, he sees it before it happens.
Contact, I do not make.

I cannot fight him, therefore I cannot win.
I am not ready to board his carriage.
I try to flee, to run as far as I can,
But I cannot move from my spot.

Without a word he hovers nearer,
His scythe swaying so peacefully from side to side,
He raises it up as he stands behind me
For it is now that this vestigial fight has come to an end.

Death is inevitable,
There wold be nothing without it,
Living a life of immortality isn't worth the sin.
We may fight to prolong, to avoid the end,
But inside we all know that it will catch us along the way.
For we must take today and milk it for what it is worth,
Knowing that the day of tomorrow shall never come.

Tie her down and strike her
once, twice, thrice.
The pain is not her own,
leave her defenseless.

She gave up her freedom
when she stepped through the door,
So quick she was to lie on the bed,
yet the situation, she misread.

She struggles and moans
through a washing of crimson tears,
Yet would her release be allowed,
she would not go, it is not her wish.

In life she had sinned
and sealed her fate,
For eternity she shall remain,
as for her, it is too late.

The clock strikes midnight, the echoing chime spanning the wooden acres. Once, twice, thrice it takes her heart and carries the rhythm with it. Wandering alone for such a time has taken a hold on her mind.
.
In these enchanted woods she cannot find freedom,
Freedom that she does not know she has lost…
She is not alone, she is not the first,
Yet the others, she will not meet.

Left to wonder
Who am I?
Where am I?
What does it matter?
Why does this seem like home?

The forest is a prison for all who dared to love a man so dark. Time after time he shows the world that

Love is a weakness
That makes us sway
To and from, disregarding logic and why.
It goes as deep, coming from the soul,
Existing so as to ruin us all.

It is due to her weakness that she finds herself incarcerated among the spruce so vast that

Between the trunks
She can see for miles in every direction,
Row after row, acre past acre,
Yet an end in sight, there is not.

From time to time she swears she can see
The figure of another soul ever so lost as she.
Yet like the rainbows that avoid this land,
These shadows cannot be reached.

…

Thinking back to that fateful night, where he held her in his arm’s caress,

His fingers trailing up and down her side,
A touch so light she cannot help but to shudder.
He slides his arm up ever so slowly, over her *******
and onto her neck, gently applying more and more pressure.
Her will to fight is gone, as her legs begin to flail, shaking the bed as they do.
Blackness ensues and does not return until she wakes, perched against the spruce’s bark.

She no longer dreams, no longer sleeps, the woods keep her awake. Forever she wanders looking for the exit, or maybe for the source of the chimes that ring every night. She will never find it, she is destined to spend eternity wandering these woods alone, such is the effect of being trapped by a heart so strong.

A sheltered life I have lived,
Never a time had I strayed nor
Dared to interfere
With the ways I was told it was meant to be.

Although I've seen your cigarette and your beer at fourteen,
These ways you have, were never for me.
Yet here I stand, with these thoughts so dark,
My mind ever plagued by tranquility...

.

Many will proclaim that the darkened life
Is derived from a past of bad choices and abuse.
Perhaps in part I believe this to be true,
Yet it is apparent to me that the life is there from birth.

It is in this way that I stand my ground,
Never to care what they may say.
I will dress my way and do my thing
For I know it to be true that this is my way.

To all like me without a reason or rhyme
Whom desire a life that they can call their own.
To those who wish to live without being judged by how
They look, how they love, or how they speak.

It is to you that I offer my hand to take,
So that you may join me on this journey
And march through the night in our battle
To evade negativity, as this is out right.

A single blackened snowflake hanging in the air,
a choice to stand out so vividly
from the others so pale.
A choice that is not it's own,
nor could be fear of difference.

Slowly descending to rest upon my palm,
It cannot wait as it melts away into nothingness,
Gone as though it never was.

A miracle in nature,
A phenomenon unheard of.
But who will ever know; who will believe?
In difference the flake is soon forgotten.

This flake chose to alight upon myself,
perhaps seeking to find another like itself.
Yet it is just a meminder, a mockery,
knowing that these shadows will ultimately
take away, with myself,
The memories of whoever I was supposed to be

Frosted windows separate me
from the tiny fingers
pressed against the window pane.

Tendrils of smoke descending from above,
shrouding the fingers within
only visible in the glow of the flames.

What can I do but watch him die
as reality sets in, no time to play
with the person I used to be.

One by one they peel away,
leaving sweat marks on the glass,
until my inner child has gone up in flames.

Now I wake.

To find that though a dream, it was
formed from truth and reality,
the years of yesterday have taken it all away.

The young lady sits, mascara running
As she gazes into her cup of tea.
Alone in the woods,
Resting upon an old and forgotten arm chair

She thinks of her place in the world,
Of the horrors that it is plagued with.
Dreaming of a better day
Without the hate and despair

She knows it will never come,
And so do the grey winged butterflies
That flutter by. But they don’t care
So long as they can fly.
---

The barren trees, roots topped with dirt,
Watch over their little girl.
They cannot see, but they feel her presence;
The weight of her black buckled shoe upon the soil.

Unable to think, they do not see the world
In the black and white way of her striped leggings,
They know nothing of the wars and violence,
Only of their precious child.

Here they sway from side to side.
Father and son, hand in hand.
That poor little girl
Who never stood a chance.

For boy, as you know,
Daddy had a thing for those
Of innocence and very few years.

Yet you watched from the shadows,
As your old man went on,
He didn’t know that you were there.
Why didn’t she scream?

You couldn’t believe the scene,
He is not the one you know
Today he had betrayed your soul.

But you would run if you could,
He blocks the door,
Of this old and abandoned shell of a barn.

Close your eyes boy, but the ears won’t relent,
Just look away and pretend you don’t see
Their silhouettes clinging to the walls.
Now you can never be free

You know the century is early, the laws unevolved
They say what you have seen has left your soul unclean.
They know she was your friend, so now they’ll understand.

This wasn’t your fault, you didn’t make it be
You know your father is to blame, he who hath sinned.
Unleashing evil in its purest form.

But that’s not what they’ll say
When they condemn you two to fate.
As from behind the crate you step,
“Father it is time to flee.”

You know his darkness, yet with him you must go
For life on the run alone, you cannot survive.
You strive for your freedom, with your demon at your side.

You travel the miles, yet with him you will never speak,
Because of him, your childhood is gone.
And even worse is the loss of her’s.

Together you last for many a day
But in the end you’ll never get away.
For it is now the third day of the second week.

You know you are caught, yet with him you’ll still not speak
As the cavalry rides up, and they take you away.
Back to the village where it all began.

The trial is short, the girl revealed all,
as before you were ever found, you were both deemed guilty
And tonight you shall hang, along with your old man.

So here they sway from side to side.
Father and son, hand in hand.
That poor little girl
Who never stood a chance.

The smile that haunts me deeply
and follows me everywhere I go
The faded memory that is with me
and remains unforgiven.
This gentle touch that transcends the years
and keeps m always on my toes
This warming scent of cologne that sends a chill
and brings forth the image.
They say time has passed us by
and that I need to catch up with it all
They don’t see what it has done
and wonder who is has built me up to be.
Tonight I’ll stay home with the door ajar
and try to cope with this pain of mine
Tonight I’ll go out to grab a pint
and bury it deep inside.
There will not be a way to go back
and prevent it from ever having happened
There is nothing to be done
and this is how the world goes on.
Then I will live this numbing life
and walk with him always at my side
Then I shall stride with purpose
and overthrow the difficulties.
The smile that haunts me deeply shall
hold me true as it learns to let me go
The faded memory that is with me shall
keep me pure as it begins to be forgiven.

Emmett Smith (1921-2012)

The merry-go-round is a thing of joy
Where kids can play in endless revolution.
They laugh and yell and don’t realize that their entertainment
Is from one another and not the rusted metal.

I remember when back in the day,
I would sit and spin wishing to feel the thrill.
This welded contraption has no amusing aura,
Not when there is no one to join.

Round and round and round again,
Spinning around with no end.
I lay here alone while the others play tag,
Tag she is it, now it is he, though I go nowhere it is never me.

To this day there is no change,
Wandering these halls I pass them bye,
The same **** kids who take no notice
But today is the day, they will all see.

I’ll make the headlines that I’ll never see,
Front page news across the country.
They will have no choice but to see me now,
My face the last to cross their minds.

The last chance has passed and she has left me lost and alone.
The driver sped through the light that he failed to see
through his high powered beer goggles.

The rest of the world runs on the same,
No one the wiser, no one to feel my pain.
I don’t know how much longer I can hold on.

I’m out of tears, no more grief, the time has passed.
Tonight I am slipping away without my anchor to
Tether me to this world.

It is time to end the suffering, stop the waiting.
I cannot accept that there will ever be another
As I fall to pieces; the lord caves his jigsaw into me.

Returning home from the night’s adventure.
Winding down from the rush of excitement,
We were too tired; too tired.
the corner was there before the steering wheel.
The crash, the sudden quiet.

Moaning is heard as
The blood seeped into the cracked roadway.
Amongst the twisted metal and shards of glass, our light fades.
Crying and waiting until we left our bodies.
Then we were gone, but we watched

as the silence was broken and
the sirens blared

We rose…. Leaving the destruction,
the heat of the flames,
the smell of burning fuel,
the whining of a dying radio.

We are with the others now
encased in the shadows.
Light and airy spirits, sometimes we are heard laughing.
We wait in our clusters,
waiting to greet anyone
who might happen to join us here.

We are finally happy
Within the confines of eternity; in death.

Now the quiet peace,
We are together now,
Perhaps you’ll join us.

Life moves on
and things become too real.
A wife. Kids. Career.
It’s too much, I want to run away.

Everything has changed with
my position in the world.
I’ve never fit in
Always the freak who knows no limits,
the one who sits alone and minds his own.

Never understood, never accepted.
Now a husband, a dad, still the same.
Always covering up myself; hiding
behind wit and cruelty.

A shield to disappear into,
Afraid to be me; to send up alone.
I used to know who I was but
now I’m not so sure.

It seems I have my life sorted out,
but am I really happy?

A question I always find myself asking
but can never answer.
I don’t think anyone knows the meaning of happiness,
or if it really exists.

Tonight I found myself holding her close,
and as I rested my head on her chest,
I quietly try not to cry.

It’s hard sometimes to keep it all in,
to hold strong so as not to lose myself,
it’s why I write as I do.

An outlet through a pen is all I have,
only the page wont judge,
won’t declare me a freak,
won’t know that something is wrong with me.

The thoughts I have,
my inability to empathize with other’s pain and loss.
It makes me wonder if I’m right for this world.

I’ve been to two funerals,
one I barely knew, the other I held dear.
And lost a grandfather who meant everything,
yet I never shed a tear.

I used to think that it was because I am strong,
but now maybe that isn’t so.

Who am I really?
I think I need to know.

Balance
The universe thrives
Exists

A scale level
On the mountain peak
Tip it one way
Reality shatters.

The light and dark
The ups and downs
We cut so someone can heal

America sleeps
China wakes
The sun gives way to the moon

Heartbeats stop
Babies are born
Our tears in the face of their joy

Without out demons
An Angel's wings are never earned
So we balance.