I regret to inform you the battle's been lost,
we fought for our cause but could not pay the cost.
the ground is shaking beneath me and children are screaming,
I know this is real, but how I wish I were dreaming.

I managed to hide here, in an old musty den,
and within rubble and debris I found an old pen.
So I write you this verse on the current atrocities,
such inhuman hate filled with cold animosities.

Buildings are crumbling and trees and have been burned,
the world is scorched but the lesson? Not learned.
The end game approaches, the hour so fleeting.
There's nowhere to run. No escape. No retreating.

The smoke billows in and the cannonballs fly,
as fire and brimstone fall from the sky.
I hear angry footsteps approaching the door,
It's not safe here much longer but I must tell you more.

I don't know how this started, but you can surely blame,
the rich, greedy tyrants and their bloodletting game.
The foul stench of flesh, punishing as a curse,
and that's the just the tip of an iceberg far worse.

I wish I could finish, but I'll stop here I think,
as I'm sorry to say I've just run out of ink...

Meet the new neighbors, what a lovely young pair,
He in a pressed suit and her with long flowing hair.
They've got the white picket fence, they're living the life
but something's amiss with the cute smiling wife.

She carries a secret so awful, so deep,
A woman broken and bruised at the hands of a creep.
Kept in a basement, labeled as chattel,
Treated not as human but a dumb piece of cattle.

She is his property, a lone prized possession,
Absorbing the punishment, but where's the transgression?
Her tears burst through the dam in a torrential flood,
Driven by the sight of the bruises and blood.

When they step out in public, he puts on a show,
Acting a perfect gentleman wherever they go.
Other women say "oh my, what a catch!"
As she manages to hide every deep cut and scratch.

He smiles and waves to them, what a great guy!
No one ever notices the look in her eye.
They are a beautiful couple, sharp looking and young,
Out on the town for some good wholesome fun.

It's there, the discomfort, the raging frustration,
But she holds it inside, lest she face devastation.
So she plays along with the fantasy, buries the strain,
Puts on a fake smile and suppresses the pain.

But how long can she go on with this awful routine?
"If only, if only the truth could be seen!"
She thinks to herself while committing the crime,
Waiting for an out, biding her time.

She has only one shot to break free and escape,
Away from the beatings and bruising and ****.
So she lays out every detail in her head,
Knowing full well if she fails, she's dead.

After a couple of months, she chooses her time,
Takes a deep breath and puts her life on the line.
In the darkness of night, she makes for the outside,
Suddenly she hears him: "where do you think you'll hide?"

He was already on to her, aware of the plot,
And he lashes out with every ounce of sweat that he's got.
By the time he is finished she's crushed to the core,
"That ought to teach you, you stupid young *****!"

So it's back to the basement, back to the cell,
Her own little desperate corner of hell.
Her master is so furious, angry and seething,
But by some freak occurrence she is still here and breathing.

For the next 15 years he robs her of joy,
She is his precious, his plaything, his toy.
It finally ends one day when the cops storm the place,
And walk out her master in a display of disgrace.

Down at the station they don't really care.
They just need the facts, the who, when and where.
She may be battered, roughed up and burned,
But the folks who surround her just seem unconcerned.

Walking out of the precinct a cool wind passes through,
She cinches up her jacket and thinks: "Now what will I do?
I've had my sprit torn from me, for twenty odd years,
am I just supposed to forget the dark and the fears?"

Despite every bit of it, she won't give up the fight,
though she still finds it ******* a quiet, long night.
Master's been put away now, a life sentence times three
She's away from his grasp but will she ever be free?

I'm sorry I haven't seen you in awhile.

I've been off doing my own thing,
in a distant place.

Somewhere I can't see you,
Somewhere I can't feel you.

Somewhere you can't hurt me,
Somewhere you can't find me.

Before we were friends.
Then the storms came.
The ground shook beneath my feet,
and the forest turned to desert,
before my very eyes.

You might want me back,
but I don't think this is going to work anymore.

In the cosmos, your beauty glistens,
a jewel draped in sunlight.
So pretty, so overwhelming,
and so dangerous and petty.

Go ahead, act like I don't have a choice in this.
You think you know everything about me?
I hate to break it to you,
but there are plenty of other jewels
amid the stars.

So long and farewell then.
A new frontier awaits.

We've come a long way brother, I'm sad to see you go,
your constant presence at my side meant more than you could know.
Yes, we fought the wars together and by a hair we both survived.
That's always how we liked it: beaten, bruised but still alive.

Do you remember in the heady days, just how this all began?
We were just two young determined guys, without a real plan.
But we brought it all together and soon it became apparent,
That before too long we'd pass the phase of the foolish and the errant.

The great dynamic duo, the amazing perfect pair,
No one that stood against us would even have a prayer.
The great bond that can't be broken, of that I'm all but certain,
We'd be there side by side together, until the final curtain.

They'll write great songs about us, tell legendary tales,
Of those two amazing brothers who always managed to prevail.
Yes it's been a roller coaster ride, we nearly touched the sky.
But now the time has come when we have to say a tough goodbye.

The road is changing up ahead, we're set for different lanes,
You go your way, I go mine, things never quite the same.
I know it's necessary and I know it's for the very best,
but that doesn't mean I have to like it, it's not easy to digest.

I'll be ok without you. I promise you I will,
Kept strong by the faith and purpose, you managed to instill.
The distance, never easy. The separation, tough to swallow.
Used to be that where you went, I was the one to follow.

All of that has changed now and we're both on our own,
but I still believe we'll never have to face this world alone.
You've got your fighting spirit and lord knows that I've got mine,
there's no doubt that we can bring it when the worst is on the line.

So sadly this is where I leave you, but I never will forget,
every grueling sacrifice, every bit and blood and sweat.
A new path lays ahead for you, so enjoy it all my friend,
and know that one way or another, I'll be waiting at the end.

There stands a man so cunning and quick,
you just know he's got a tight hold of his ship.
He knows every bolt and he knows every plank,
He knows every pulley and lever and crank.

He's been on the seas for three decades and more,
but he always gets his old boat back to the shore.
With a talented crew who stand by one another.
As one they are comrades, as one they are brothers.

They'll take whatever the great waves will give them,
they'll fight impossible battles and somehow still win them.
When the war is over they'll celebrate with an ale,
and add to their storehouse of glory and tales.

As the ship grows in legend, notch by simple notch,
You'll no doubt find the Captain as he keeps careful watch.
This is his ship, so you best play by his rules,
For he is a skipper that has no time for fools.

They'd give it up for him, their strength and their life,
They'd walk with him through every pain, every strife.
It's a unique kind of loyalty this Captain commands.
What a hero! What a leader! My god, what a man!

I did so much for you.

So many things.

So many wonderful, painful things.

I walked the long walks.

I traveled the ragged roads.

I climbed the icy mountains

and I went over the mighty cliffs.

Now I am left with practically nothing.

Save for my own shattered spirit.

I think what bothers me the most.

Is how gradually you took it from me.

Day by day.

Hour by hour.

Minute by minute.

You kept chipping away.

More.

and more.

and more.

Until there was so little left of me I could barely stand.

You threw me into the wilderness.

And left me to drift in the storms.

You probably thought I would die quickly.

But I am still out here. Cold, empty, waiting.

Waiting for the moment when you find yourself in this wilderness.

And it is here, in the loneliness with me,

that your final judgment

will be cast upon you.

And I will be the one

to drop the hammer.

What was will be.

What is will be no more.

And then finally, the storms will consume us both.

Forever.

I know you.

I know your every thought.

I know your every fear.

And your every dream.

You accuse me of not caring,

But I've been watching.

I've been waiting.

I've been learning.

You just don't know it yet.

So save your angry words,

Save your frustration,

and save your anguish.

Because I  know you.

And when the time is right,

You'll know too.