They say time is like a river;
Flowing on forever, with not a glance behind.
No second passes taken, but left are remnants within the mind -
For here I walk in a field of dreams, among rose-colored grasses;
Pink-painted petals cascade from trees like amaranth, fancied and eternal -
Soft and silken, they rain like ashes; and they whisper to me sweetly.
Through the haze of time, I hear the voices of the fallen,
And the laughter of bygone days;
This lea lit by vernal skies, it is a lachrymose place -
Beautifully bittersweet, and with life interwoven.

The night wind whistles,
Rustling the leaves upon blackened trees;
A midnight silence interrupted -
A forest on the outskirts of town,
Stirred from sleep, and legend-bound.
A trail leads through the wild black,
Rumbles of thunder distantly sound,
And with each beat, the gale awakens.
The cracking strike of an electric bolt
Lights the trail for a mere blink of an eye -
Behold the shadow with titanic wings,
Soaring low, and on they fly.

From behind my pane of crystal glass,
I look out upon these familiar grounds;
Common homes in your standard suburb,
But home to me and those baying hounds -
Now by heart I know these sights, these sounds.

I watch the ghosts of days gone by,
And shiver with future's touch;
The stores I'd frequent, the brick and asphalt I'd walk,
Those I met, the cordial souls with whom I'd talk -
Someday they'll all be past.
The world knows that nothing lasts;
Changes come and changes go,
But still the memories remain;
They're here to stay,
While the rest - it goes away.

Yes,
Someday this will all just be..
..A sad, but sweet, memory.

Glittering gold,
Blazing reds;
Vividly bold,
Bedazzled threads.
Sparkling silver,
Onyx lace,
Feathered crowns,
And a hidden face;
A masquerade of fabrication,
Patrons dance away the night;
They revel in such admiration,
Till shines the light of dawn.

Newborn soul,
You know nothing of this hell -
Awake to a smile,
But beware the smell of sulfur.

Newborn soul,
You know nothing of this world -
Where cries are heard,
And the skies shine blue.

Walk here as two;
All rays of light cast a shadow,
We are two faces on a single coin.
At bay we try to hold the dark,
But what is day without the night?

Black and white, a mere illusion -
There's more to us than good and evil.
In shades of gray the world is painted,
Now look within; your shadows play -
Your shadows vie for dominance,
For control of the throne. 
Your shadows are your essence,
To the bone, they're you.
They coexist, they battle,
And in mischief do they dabble,
But that shadowed silhouette
Is just the other you.

Ancient walls of darkened stone,
They make up this structure brimming with secrets -
Looming large with a heavy air,
Some even say it seems aware,
And the curious are drawn to its storied grounds.

The sun has slid beneath the horizon,
Setting once more upon the mortal day,
To bring forth the allure of the shadows,
To make way for the sibylline night.

Ivy bursts through the cracks in the walls,
As you wander the halls gone silent with time;
Brushed by whispers of heavenly laughter,
And the murmurs of time-lost voices -
Echoes of an era, imprints left in stone.

Mysterious, maddening, enthralling -
These halls tell of a tormented past,
Witness to the events of a bygone life,
And ever since forsaken.

Walk the path trodden black by this fallen soul,
Enter into his courtyard;
A large open space, quiet as the rest,
And scarred by decay.
An eldritch bell adorns the middle,
A bell with no stand, floating free,
Polished silver with an amethyst glow;
From it dangles a chain,
Swaying to and fro.

Pull the chain, ring the bell,
Be spared the pain of the living hell.
Ring the bell, ring the bell,
There's more to see, more to tell.

From the bell, a resounding toll,
Resonant and clear;
A violet haze surrounds your eyes,
And fills you with fear.

The bell was rung, you pulled the chain;
Ignored the heralds, played my game.
Now join them in their timeless pain.

*The bell chimes the midnight chord!