Come with me tonight
my darling
and we’ll ride on beautiful rainbows
Across the expanse of a star filled sky.

The galaxy is our playground.
The majesty of all the planets
awaits us.
It’s an incredibly wondrous sight.

Even still,
I find myself unable
to shift my gaze from you.
As it was surely meant to be.

I am broken.
I am neglected.

All the good parts of me
slowly rust away
and vanish into dust.

The beauty that once was
is no more.
This world I wanted to make better,
has destroyed me before I could.

How do you set the scene
in quarantine.
When you're not sure what
the future means?

In search of ends,
but you miss your friends.
And survival?
On what does it depend?

I'll keep my distance
at the mans insistence.
Because I got to protect
my own persistence.

As I hope for the day,
when the darkness frays.
and we see this madness
swept away.

I don't know where to go,
I don't know where to go,
I'm running out of road,
I'm running out of road.

But I gotta keep going,
I gotta keep going,
Through the mountains,
Through the trees,
Through the rivers,
Through the seas.

The pavement's at its end,
The pavement's at its end,
What comes next?
What comes next?

I got to keep searching,
Just got to keep searching,
Through places high,
Places low,
Through the desert
Through the snow.

I made a deal with the Devil,
in a play to strike it rich.
Him the puppet, I the master,
but soon the roles were switched.

The money up and vanished,
right before my very eyes.
And the devil, loudly laughing,
Sent brimstone falling from the skies.

Sweat poring down my forehead,
and a most repugnant smell.
The newest slave among the demons,
In the darkest depths of hell.

No reprieve from all the gruntwork,
not a single chance of rain.
Just the Devil's fury,
And a sharp eternal pain.

The smoke forever suffocating,
I don't think I'll ever learn.
I made a deal with the devil
and now I've got to burn.

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.

You call me rebellious.
Unstable. Unpredictable.

But I'm not lashing out over the irrational.

I am lashing out to resist
any attempt
to confine my spirit
and its infinite beauty
from the world surrounding it.

I am just a number.

I am a statistic on a corporate spreadsheet.

I am a data point for marketers to sell.

I am a profile for the government to monitor.

I am a nameless figure for cameras to track.

My life has been reduced to mere

ones and zeroes.

File names and report headers.

Here in the digital dissonance

I am no longer human.

There are monsters in the mist.
Ancient creatures that will never
cease their unending wrath on humanity.

For thousands of years we have feared them.
For thousands of years we have fought back.

Now, there may be no stopping them.

An incredibly old force has been awakened.
And for all our modern technology....

...we are practically defenseless.

So it shall pass that we follow the path of our ancestors
and vanish violently into the night...

Why do we weep? Why do we cry?
Do we not love until we die?

That promise kept, the night we wept.
lonely hours I never slept.

There are dreams...so it seems.
Aching pain...can't explain.

Panicked cries sweep all around
and then I woke up to the sound

Of the blissful ones, out in the sun,
burning bright 'til the work is done.

On they toil, in the scorching soil,
with skin that breaks and blood that boils.

Go, hold the staff on my behalf,
perhaps it will become my epitaph.

I see it on the stone: "He came alone
did what he must, then I called him home."

It's not my night, it's not my fight.
It's not my job to make it right.

The hammer falls when duty calls
And in the ashes, freedom stalls.

No more rains, no more pains,
Its really nothing I can explain.

And that's all for me,
that's all for me,

that's all, you see.

I'm afraid of a great many things
but I'm not scared of falling ill.

I don't think the virus will **** me.

The society around me will.

Black and white, wrong and right,
Go ahead and trade the day for night.
Boots on the street, a slow defeat.
The lions are hungry, time to eat.

Frank despair fills up the square,
the outcasts lay their soul bare.
gaining steam, the new regime.
one mans terror, anothers dream

Distant places, angry races,
Simple lack of social graces.
They're taking part in urban art
gotta tear the place apart.

From flying flags, to tattered rags.
the streets are filled with garbage bags.
Unkempt, unclean, it's quite a scene
what do the voices on the TV mean?

I thought that I
distinctly heard
the angry voice
of another person
in the shadows.

But in fact it was
my own fears
and failures
being thrown
back upon me.

There was a place,
A calm disgrace.
Soft betrayal of time
and space.

There was a spot,
I mattered not
in your ever
twisting plot.

There was a time,
before the crime,
When your spirit
walked the thinnest line.

There was a year,
a solemn tear.
Held hostage in
the grip of fear.

I know your instincts tell you,
that's it time to run away.
But the reckoning is coming,
and your soul's in disarray.

No one wants to face him,
No one wants to cross that line.
Everyone is brought to judgment,
Everyone is prey to time.

You might think you can avoid him,
but quite soon you'll learn the truth:
This isn't something you can win,
These are not the days of youth.

They say he's cold and vicious,
and his spirit somewhat fickle.
No one wants the business end
of a freshly sharpened sickle.

They say every man and woman,
when it's death they're about to face,
Should put on a mask of bravery,
and accept the thing with grace.

That may sound a little foolish,
and not the gift for which you prayed.
But what's the point in ending a life,
In anger and afraid?

Wait for me.
Just wait for me.
I may be a while.
I may not be what you expect.
I may not be strong.
I may not be ready.
But I'll be there.
So please...
Wait for me.

Spinning violently through the air.

                       Terminal velocity is my friend today.

                                                  Faded memories flash in my mind.

                       As the rugged ground draws ever closer.

I see the taunting glares of the clouds.

                       My legs get cut out from under from me.

                                                   Life thrashes me around a little more.

                        Faster and faster, the descent into chaos.

I can’t help but start laughing.

                         As the world falls apart around me.

                                                   Maybe this is what I deserved after all.

                         I barely have time to say my goodbyes.

Before everything turns to black.

Beep...Beep...Beep

In a chaotic instant

The memories of this life that has been

Unfold in the distorted window

That lays within my mind.

There is madness.

There is confusion.

But there is also an odd calm

That overwhelms me.

Beep...Beep...Beep...

Voices around me screaming.

A manic energy fills the place.

My eyes are filled with emptiness.

My hands don't want to move.

A shadowy figure emerges from the distance.

Beep...beep...beep...

Some unknown object rips into me.

The delirium is suffocating.

There's no obvious escape route.

There's nowhere for me to go.

Beep...beep...beep....

Smooth metal bars lay at my side.

Is it some kind of twisted prison?

More and more people surround me.

The voices are almost too much.

Beep...beep...beep...

Another sharp jab to my body.

Another odd wave of hysterics.

A mysterious warmth comes over me.

And beckons me to go with it.

Prison bars fade into darkness.

Freedom has come at last.

Beep...Beep..................

Tell me you're there.
Tell me this matters.
Tell me what I mean to you.
Tell me what's in your heart.

Lest you leave me to float away
in a sea of uncertainty.

Our bags are packed and we're ready,
But the buses have already gone
There's no gas left in the gas tank.
And no aeroplane to fly on.

We just missed the last of the boat trips,
and it's been awhile since we've seen a truck.
The helicopters don't come 'til later,
so it appears that for now we are stuck.

There isn't much point now in walking,
or taking a chance on a bike.
No, there's nothing to do except wait here,
Until the big storm brings its strike.

So we'll go and board up the windows,
tie down what we can with some rope.
Then we'll wait in the deep of the shadows,
And quietly hope against hope.

We pray that the wind keeps its distance,
and we don't wash away in a flood.
The Lord is our constant protector,
but fear is awake in our blood.

We got a few extra provisions,
and some mighty strong shoulders or two.
Will that though make much a difference
As we see what's about to come through?

We're supposed to be miles away now,
This was never part of the plan.
We're on the highest ground we can be on,
And here's where we'll make our stand.

My dear, how I wish it were different,
Had we been some of those who got out.
Now there's a chance to see up close,
What the fury of nature's about.

So hunker down and stay close to me,
We don't have to face this alone.
And by god, when this thing is over,
I hope that we still have a home.

Let it be said I was faithful,
and I gave it my very best.
Let my old heart still be beating,
When the storm clouds move to the west.

There's a bit of a breeze in the distance,
The biggest ones never come late.
There's nothing more that we can do now,
Except just to sit and to wait.

Who am I?

Where is the edge of the Universe?

Why must life be this way?

How was my soul brought into existence?

And most important of all:

What's for dinner?

For so long I saw it coming,
but still I searched for an escape.
Now the book of life is changing,
and a new chapter's taking shape.

It's like the sunshine in my heart,
will not come out to shine.
Instead, I'm out here cold and lost,
What I have done this time?

You said we'd never change,
and I was your forever guy.
But now I've lost my range
and sometimes I wonder why I try?

I wish I could fly away instead,
but this thought's rolling around my head...

You're killing me today,
Like you've killed me every day.
And I wish that I could stay,
but it has to be this way.

Through the fire and the smoke,
We tried to make amends.
But maybe now my dear,
we're just better off as friends.

You know I never wanted this,
but I guess life had other plans.
I'll take what I can get out there,
but I don't have to be your man.

I wish I could fly away instead,
but I've still got this thing I dread...

You're killing me today,
Like you've killed me every day,
and you've lost your only sway,
'cause the truth is on display.

I can't take you anymore.
Not because I hate you.
But because of an indescribably energy between us.

Like two magnets
pulling back and forth at each other.
Threatening to slip out of control
at any moment.

It's too much for me.
The intensity is not worth the price.
So please forgive me my darling
should I choose to disappear forever.

It's stings, this pain of soft defeat. I couldn't pay the debt.
A simple awful moment that I wish I could forget.

I don't need no prescription, I don't need no Dr. Phil,
don't need a wannabe physician trying to cure my ills.

You can stifle your encouragement, don't need a kiss this time.
The fall was mine alone to take, I went and crossed the line.

There's really nothing I want from you in the here, now and today
but if you are insisting please think of me when you pray.

I was good friends with my failures,
they followed me around.
And never missed a chance
To drive my nose into the ground.

I was good friends with my failures,
The spoke to me every day.
And convinced me I had nothing,
That I’d never find my way.

I was good friends with my failures,
They were as constant as the sun.
Showed me the path to losing
When I thought the game was won.

I was good friends with my failures,
They liked to sing me songs.
About how I’d never be more
Than the sum of all my wrongs.

I was good friends with my failures,
Until they messed up all my stuff.
And eventually I reached a place
Where I’d finally had enough.

So I gathered all my failures
And I shoved them out the door.
Now I don’t let them near me.
They’re not my good friends anymore.

Believe in me.

Set me free.

Leave your mark

on my Destiny.

In this wild soiree,

What must be will be.

Despite the build of energy,

There’s no cause to fear or flee.

So please move on in certainty.

Because this is the new reality.

In time I know the things you’ll see.

And so I’ll make one final plea:

My love,  my dear...

Believe in me.

I want to be a bona fide superstar.
With a house in Malibu,
and a garage full of fancy cars.

I'll be the hottest new thing on TV,
with two broken marriages
and three kids I hardly ever see.

In Hollywood, I'll be a cinematic force.
Earning tens of millions just to
give them back in the next divorce.

It'll be big news when I get arrested,
and the Judge lets me go
because of how much I'm invested.

If you've got the green, you've got the power
to do whatever you want to
any time, day, or hour.

Even if I get washed up and near broke,
MTV will give me
my own reality show.

That's how it works in this novel construction,
the audience feeds on conflict
and destruction.

My fans will never really know the pain.
Until they find me dead,
with a needle in my vein.

The day my world broke in two,
There was a fateful shift.
I thought I stood on solid ground,
only to be thrown off that cliff.

"No, no! This just isn't right!"
I cried out and screamed in vain,
but there was no time for a last repeal,
and no healing for the pain.

So there I am, cast off, adrift,
In an endless, raging sea.
I don't know how to face these things,
that just weren't meant to be.

We are constantly told not be scared.
We are taught it's better to be fearless,
than give in to wanton emotion,
and our primal instincts.

But given the choice between
a dry and emotionless existence
or  being truly human,
I will embrace fear.

It is an inescapable part of who I am.

It's sunny outside.
The temperature is perfect.
Above my head
The sky is a perfect crystal blue.

Birds are singing.
The river is vibrant.
A soft breeze weaves
its way through the trees.

It is by most measures
a perfect day.
And yet I stand in the middle of it all
terrified and uncertain.

I'll tell 'em there's a problem now,
that only I can fix.
They'll never know I'm lying,
They can't see through my tricks.

I'll lead 'em down my chosen path,
and whisper in their ear.
As long as there's someone to hurt,
I can wield the power of fear.

It's too easy to find some lesser folks,
to lay on all the blame.
When really, I'm the one
behind the curtain who rigs the game.

You'd be surprised how easy,
it can be to make men hate.
Give them an easy target,
And let the anger permeate.

So, yes they've got a problem,
yet they're giving me applause.
Because they think I'm the solution,
but I know that I'm the cause.

I've left everything of myself
on this battlefield.
I have sweat through the danger,
bled through the misery,
and cried for endless nights.

On and on I have struggled,
desperately clinging,
to a distant thing called hope.
So many conflicts,
and not one victory to show for it.

There is no justice in this.
Perhaps I should just lay down my sword
and surrender.

I'm only going to lose in the end anyway.

The night is coming my love.
My hand grows weak.
A life spent fighting the twisted darkness.
So many things wasted.

Eternity comes for me soon.
In my soul sits a mountain of words,
that remain unsaid.

So many regrets in these last hours.

If only you could know my heart.
If only you could know everything.
If only you could know...
If only...
............

It is damaged.
It is burning.
It is destructive.
It is haunting.

It casts a light in the darkness,
It brings warmth to the freezing,
It brings food to the hungry,
It brings help to the stranded.

It is vicious.
It is primal.
It is roaring.
It is fierce.

There, on the edge of the Midnight river,
her cares get washed away.
Crystal clear, the endless current,
rides through the misty bay.

Through the fog, a tiny tear,
falls softly down her cheek.
For many years, she's nursed her wounds,
and fought through being week,

In the heart of the forest there,
she'll find that which she seeks.
Watching the tiny insects dance
Across the sky in streaks.

No secrets, no disguise,
No more fury in her eyes,
No deception, no more lies,
Just the glow of fireflies

I try to love you,
You respond with apathy.

I try to honor you,
You respond with manipulation.

You are the fire,
I am the match.

You are the lightning,
I am the thunder.

And every time we dance,
The sky is set ablaze.

I'm a little short, I must report,
but spare me your puns
and witty retorts.

I may not be a giant, but I'm self reliant.
and in the face of all those barbs?
Defiant.

There's less of me, for the eye to see,
though inside I'm as big
as big can be.

So the silly folks may crack their jokes
but I've got it where
it matters most.

The measuring tape, I can't escape.
Everything else, as it goes,
is mine to shape.

On a cool and sunny October day,
I sit on the dock with my niece.
The water is calm.
A palette of orange and red fills the trees.

I pick up my guitar
and together we sing a song.

For three minutes and eight seconds
There is no stress, anger or frustration.
There is no injustice or inequity.
There are no burning existential questions.

There is only the sweet sound of music,
filling the autumn air.
While nature dances around us.

If only more in life could be
this beautiful.

Off the cliff.
Into the open.
Spread your wings.
Let the wind guide you.
Feel the embrace of the sky.
The horizon is the only limit.

These bones are weak.

What of my powers now?

I was once the king of the world.

Now I am mere dust

on the outskirts of the castle.

Left to ponder my many failures

as I await the western winds

that will ******* into nothingness.

They may look like bars to you.
And I understand
why you feel uncomfortable.

It is dark,
It is damp,
It is foreboding.

It doesn't seem like a place,
where joy exists.

But within these stone walls.
I find the liberty
to be what I truly am.

And that is all that matters.

There's little more than panic and despair,
Moving through the mass of frosty air.
These little golden dreams torn asunder at the seams,
It's almost just too much for me to bear.

You say there's no reason for concern,
as we watch the things around us smoke and burn.
Got to be be quick on your feet when there's panic in the street.
Will those forgotten spirits ever learn?

The mighty trees of freedom bend and sway,
struggling with the sickness and decay.
And I can't help but wonder "why" as I look toward the sky:
"Did we ever let ourselves get so astray?"

Above it all the flag, Old Glory reigns,
healing this wounded nation from her pains.
Before long we'll stand free next to Lady Liberty
and finally shed off these worn chains.

No reason now to hang a head in shame
or worry about a patriotic game.
Can we all focus now and build that shining city on the hill,
instead of worrying about just who's to blame?

Let it follow from sea to shining sea,
this great nation that is home to you and me.
No more petty old disputes, just a garden bearing fruit.
If the golden door is here we hold the key

These are strange days
as the world stands still.
And we watch from our perch
in the grass on the hill.

The streets sit nearly empty,
the car horns are gone.
Sidewalks stand barren,
no rush hour throng.

The schools, all closed up,
Football fields sit quiet.
Empty seats at the beer hall.
Local theaters stay silent.

Movie cameras aren't rolling.
Concert grounds sit unused.
Everyone's staying home,
a bit scared and confused.

So here I am all alone,
keeping distance from friends.
Wondering exactly
When this madness will end.

This is the beginning of the end.
This is the fall from grace.
This is the pain that's been given me.
This is the quiet disgrace.

There went the last bit of harmony.
There went the best chance I had.
There went whatever was left of me.
There went the good from the bad.

Now I have nothing worth fighting for.
Now there's no comeback to try.
Now there are shadows and emptiness
Now I just sit back and cry.

Don't tell me this isn't permanent.
Don't tell me things that aren't true.
Don't wish me well from this moment on.
Don't think I'm listening to you.

Leave me alone in my emptiness.
Leave me to drift in the sea.
Leave me and don't think a thing of it.
Leave me to be what I'll be.

Promise me you won't come in search of me.
Promise me you won't be the one.
Promise me you'll know it is finished.
Promise me you'll know it is done.

This is the road I will wander down.
This is where I lose my friends.
This is where the wall comes closing in.
This is the beginning of the end.

You've got me,
You've got me,
In the harsh grip of your madness.

You feel me,
You feel me,
as I try to break free.

You toss me,
You toss me,
To the edge of forever.

You burn me,
You burn me,
'Til I have nothing left.

You strike me,
You strike me,
With a fist of cold vengeance.

You thrash me,
You thrash me,
Until I am shattered.

You tempt me,
You tempt me,
with the heart of the beast.

You hear me,
You hear me,
as I shout into the darkness.

You trap me,
You trap me,
In a prison of flames.

You crush me,
You crush me,
until I turn into dust.

Get the money,
Move the tickets,
We're gonna have a blast.

You won't want
to miss this,
the best spots are going fast.

It'll be historic,
quite incredible,
If you believe the hype.

We're planning
an epic party
of a unique and crazy type.

So maybe
we lost the caterer,
and a few headliners ditched.

Ignore the rocks,
and tiny tents.
We had to make a switch.

We admit, it seems
that several things
have gone a bit off track.

But doing this was
a massive risk
So won't you cut some slack?

Crowds are angry,
Walls close in,
The workers want their pay.

So we'll get out
while the getting's good,
and party another day.

I've spent too much time taking.
Too much time breaking.
Too many nights in the cold, alone,
shaking.

I've spent too much time keeping,
long hours weeping.
Fighting off demons that are constantly
creeping.

But I will do this no longer,
I can be stronger,
Now's time to toss the junk that's making me
somber.

It's a wholesale clearing,
an escape from the fearing.
There's a new me a-coming, my spirit is
cheering.

So now I'll stand and surrender,
Move from hoarder to sender,
and open this new chapter in all of its
splendor.

I know I should stay away.

I know I should heed the warnings.

I've lost track of all the times
I've been burned by your fire.

And yet still, I keep coming back.

Why do you do this to me?

So this is goodbye.
And I don't even know why,
In my tears I just try,
To understand.

You gave me so much,
Never long out of touch,
But now there's confusion
at hand.

You were a brother, a friend,
comrade to the end.
Through the curves and the bends
That came at us.

There was much that we learned,
a few times we got burned.
But we were never concerned,
about status.

So now I'm here and you're not,
in this loneliness spot,
and I'll give what I've got,
to be courageous.

So sweet soul, carry on,
To the place that's beyond.
Not even death breaks the bond
or separates us.

I'm standing in the pouring rain,
praying it will cleanse this pain,
and bring my heart a bit closer to you.
More than distant memories,
like a raging wind or a roaring breeze,
For the days we had I will sing 'Hallelujah'

It's lonely in the room tonight,
but you're still here, my guiding light,
thriving in my heart and in my soul.
Nothing can replace your love,
now forever in the great above,
safe under the Lord's care and control.

Smiling, I think of your gentle touch,
Right now I want it oh so much,
Special life of yours, fragile and so brief.
Oh how I miss you, my heart it breaks,
my spirit weeps, my body quakes,
there's no shortcut when dealing with the grief.

So I'm standing here, it seems, to say
to the One who gives and takes away,
Wondering why this you chose to do.
Your plan is perfect, Your ways are sure,
Your love is endless, Your heart is pure,
so forever I will praise you. 'Hallelujah'