I shouldn't walk away
But it's tempting,
The burden doesn't seem worth the weight
How do I escape?
This cycle of my hate
Idealistic till my dying day
If only I could find passion for my life
It may be worth the wait.

Thank them for me
This dance is ending
I won't stay after this piece,
Tell the band they were sweet
They couldn't have made a better beat,
It's time to go
Tell the angels sorry I had to depart
My heart couldn't take anymore
Tell the demons the laughs were great
I couldn't cry another drop,
See the dance is ending
I'm not sure it's any different than the beginning
I already knew that part
So I never had to witness
The men playing smart
I moved with my art
A fanciful existing
Bringing angels and demons to my yard,
Thank them for me
The host who sat apart
Tell him I know the game he set from the start
And now I depart
I leave my art
And my invitation
Thank them for me
I've danced my part

An old wooden shack
Built by hands long ago
Still ptotecting those inside
From storms and predators outside
A small hole appeared one night
In the roof just above where I slept
The black sky peered through
Threatening me with its vastness
So I might float away at night
A horrid black thing
Until a small pin of light appeared
Followed by another and another
And the hole was filled with pins of light
A starry sky
My first sight
Alone yet inspired
By these mystic lights
Is their cold light warm on another face?
Outside this barn of mine
Is the death of this life,
A traveler's delight
This hole shows me otherwise
My journey of the night
To starry skies of mystic lights

He went to a bitter place
There was too much hate
Perhaps that's why the bottle was never far from his face
When the forks came he always took the darker way
It led him here to a gutter of a place
He was content to wile away
Until she told him to get up one day
He yelled and cursed
How dare someone disturb his disgrace
She said nothing and edged him toward a cliff
If he was so miserable why didn't he end it all today
He sputtered and complained
But there was no sympathy on her face
She gave him the option to either fall down the rest of the way or come with her to another place
He chose to go with her after some debate
She led him away and he followed cautiously
She never said a word on the journey
Until they arrived where the winds meet
She led him into the sea
He panicked when he was neck deep
But she drug him further
He cried and screamed, she was killing him
She laughed, asking how she could **** what's already dead
He protested that it could not be
She smiled and shook her head
Saying he had died in the gutter a while ago
He hadn't learned that he could move past it you see
She came to show him another way
But first he must release all he's been carrying
So breathe the water deep
Let the bitter man lie where your body sleeps
The only thing to lose is suffering.

Standing on the broken cliffs
Watching the tide retreat
It carries my heart
Every beat,
I wait for it to come in once again.
I'm always here
In stalwart verse
Providing words of certainty,
Lionness of the pride,
Reliable everytime,
Soldier marching in stride
Are you frightened by the quiet blaze in my eyes?
I know it's a little intense sometimes
I'll close them for you tonight.
I keep myself on a leash
Knowing when the day comes I am released
I'll admit it was a lie
While I stood on the cliffs
Waiting like a guardian of ancient times,
I wanted to be free
Join my heart in the sky and seas
Longing for the moon and stars
Bringing in high tide
So I may feel one more time.

There are more on this list than I care to admit.
Some I knew well, others were just passing through,
Some are blood and I remember them well,
Others I shared a little of their pain at the dying end.
A man waiting for death to near,
His body nothing but a shell, still bearing scars of a war raged in hell,
I saw his tears.
A woman gone too young,
Born into this world with a body that was a cage,
Muscles made not to work and bones built to fail.
There are more of you than these two,
But there is not room here for all of you.
Know each of you are in the little lines of the things I write.
Sometimes my head gets full
And I think of all of you.
Wondering why you stay
Is it the etchings you left on my soul?
Or perhaps the dead never fully leave.
They stay in memories and in the quiet keeps.
Blood and spirit walk with me,
They watch as I dig through this darkness
And I swear some days I see them smile,
Encouraging me,
Like they know this dark and twisted way,
Telling me I've found the journey to take.

Shouts of a rigid mind
Clawing and screaming all the way down
Welcomed to the place of no bounds
Feeling too empty and full inside?
You're not alone
Sit on down
I hear things haven't gone your way in a while
A vicious cycle you say
I know the route
Tell me how it came about,
An old pain stuck around
Kept itching and burning
Festering until you rubbed it raw
The pain made you think
Question some of your preconceived cogitations
Deep down you knew what you had to do to learn this time around
A little stubborn you complain
Aren't we all I say
Tiredness skulking in the corners
I've done many rounds
That's why I smile and listen
It warms my ancient self
Makes the loneliness a little less
Something to be proud about
So please sit on down
Tell me about the joys and woes your journey has taken you to
I'll say little
If you ask I'll tell a story or two
You may have come screaming down
If you allow, I'll show you why this fall was the best thing to happen to you.

A dream or nightmare I wonder to this day
Since I was young it's come to me
A man unlike any other haunts me
He changes form and so do the scenes
It's inception with turning streets and buildings with twisting peaks
In one he is fat,
Smooth like supple flesh
His weight deadens the air making it difficult to breathe
My limbs are heavy and I cannot run
The sound may be the worst
It dulls my ears as the drum beats down to my very bones
This slow torture is only relieved by another horror,
The man changes
He is no longer smooth and plump
He is tall and porous
Crackled like hollow bone
He is dry and his skin is brown
He is quick and chases me
Our surroundings crumble
Sharp, piercing sounds tear through my ears and jaw
This change may occur several times
The textures and sounds battling my mental grounds
At four this dream was frightening
At twelve this dream was a familiar fright
At seventeen the dream began to morph
At twenty it would paralyze me
At twenty-three I stood my ground and didn't flee
At twenty-five it haunted me in the moments before I fell asleep
Now my hands and legs become foreign to me in twilight sleep
A reoccurring dream
It's grown with me
I wonder if I'll ever figure what it means.

This is a short story. It's not very long but may take a minute or two to read.            

There is a story kept in the libraries of
a distant place.
A very old one indeed,
Of three powerful beings who were so vast they encompassed everything.
The eldest two knew their offspring would struggle,
It was always so but they would balance the peace.
The youngest cared little for what the other two had to do.

One said, "for as long as I live I'll keep my children safe and teach them my ways."
The other said, "I will keep my children out of your way for it is their nature to have free reign."
So the two powerful beings gave rise to their children.

Chaos told his offspring to do as they wish only to stay away from a certain place.
Order smiled at her children and brought them up well.
While the youngest, Life was content to wander around.
This was the way of things until one day.

A fourth being thought dead,
Skulked from the distance
Watching the children play.
It looked upon Order's children and saw how strong they were.
It used its ancient powers to pull at the children's minds.
But Order's children did not listen to the thoughts and walked away.
So the being went to Chaos's children and saw them free and powerful.
It smiled and corrupted their thoughts
And Chaos's children were driven insane.

They ignored their father's advice and lost who they were.
Before this day chaos was never a bad thing, but balance was lost.
Order's children saw this and worried for their distant friends,
As different as they were, they all came from the same place.
By then Order and Chaos had left into the vast powers they were
And commanded their children no more.
So started a war, of two races so opposite and yet of the same blood borne.
The war raged long and far.
It was ******,
Deeds were committed that forever changed the nature of all we are.
Even ancient blood was spilled and that was too much.
When gods weep the universe bleeds.

Chaos's children regained who they were,
But not before a heavy price was paid.
Order's children forgave but bitter blood still finds hate.
These children so old and ancient now sit in wait.
Watching as the rest of the universe grows in pain.
First born and now they wait.
For the rest to learn the lessons of their great mistake.

I saw myself today
Standing on the plains
The sky was grey
And the breeze smelled of rain
Tall grass brushed against my legs

I turned and saw myself
Asking why I came
My answer was a smile upon my face
Electricity coursing through my veins
My breath a part of the day
Giving life and letting go of every pain

I saw myself today
Sitting in a storm by a single tree
The winds never disturbing the place
Laughter on my lips
Sadness in my eyes
Questions and answers dancing happily
While I rest

I saw myself today
Having nothing and everything to say
On the grassy plains
I let the scene slide
Knowing it's where I reside
Where heaven and earth collide.

In crimson black
Of moonless nights
A lone wolf hunting in the dark skies
Seeking more than blood tonight
Walking on legs
Skin bursting unnaturally tight
The Pied Piper calling innocence
Away from the light
Shifting from evil they hide
Men of dark arts they once were
And have since become much more
In the high desert nights
When the moon isn't bright
Sit amongst the sage
And close your eyes
When you open them you'll see
The shadows do hide
For the Skinwalker has come out tonight.

A fox spoke to me last night
I thought myself insane
His bushy silver tail stood *****
As he gazed at me with bright eyes
I ought to run,
But you are of no harm, he said
I nodded, stunned
He chuckled and asked if I had never talked to a fox before
That would be ludicrous, I said
He shook his head and his muzzle bared the finest smile
Oh my lady, we foxes do speak
We are not as well heard as the wolves
Or as majestic as the owl
And we pale in comparison to the cougar
But we do speak
Tonight you've come to hear I think
I've been waiting a long time
For you to listen
I've come before but all you heard was a fox
Now sit and listen to my tale
I'm Keeper of the Winds
And it's time you learned about the storm within.

I crossed my legs and sat
Listening to the silver fox
Our shadows stretching in the moonlight
It's easier at night, he said
The shadows like to play and dance
It's how I came to know them
I've been the predator and I've been the prey
Both left me pondering what the stars say
Do they pity the mouse who lives to die?
Or praise the man who dominates everything but his life? he asked
I wouldn't know,
I've seen the mouse and I've lived a human life, I said
And now you aren't satisfied? he asked
I nodded
He chuckled with gleaming whites and said,
Like the shadows
It's an illusion you've lived
This is why we sit in the four winds
Each blows, saying it's time to grow
You're pulled all ways
But your mind has yet to let go
Release what you think yourself to be
And we'll begin the journey into the untold
First we'll roam,
There is a forest with haunted souls
Several are calling you home.

Earthquakes came
Decent size they say
Broke the angel's cry
Dropped the trumpet from his golden hand
Probably a sign
It matches the mess of things
Even religions don't know what to say
Schools are closed and churches are empty
That's a sight
This town is full of both
They're on every street
Wierd to say
But I think we needed to breathe anyway.

It was a difficult place to go,
Some old friends hadn't made it out.
Perhaps now they have. She thought as she set the flowers down and whispered their names.

A little boy came up next to her,
His face was smudged and his shirt was torn. She picked him up when she saw his tears. She asked if he came alone. He wiped his tears and nodded solemnly.
"Don't cry little one. This is only temporary." She said.

"Do you have any family here?" She asked. He shook his head as his lips quivered. She held him tight and hushed his cries.
"You'll stay with me until they come." She promised. He placed his little hand on the watery wall in front of them. Flowers and notes lined the vast wall as far as the eye could see.
"What if they don't come?" He asked
She smiled and looked at the roses she had just left. Yellow just like her mother loved.

"They always come. One guarantee about the living is they always die. We'll see them soon enough." She said as she held his hand and led him away.

I rarely write for others to see,
The extent of the darkness in me
How do I convey a monstrosity?

Dreams plague me
Most I could never repeat
Though they wake me from sleep.
I've seen the world burn a thousand times, it's brighter than any day
I've seen hate and men with twisted smiles on their face,
I've felt the spray of blood on my face and breathed the odd metallic taste
Dreams from which I cannot wake
A broken videogame I'm set to play.

I've been promised terrible things
Under the guise of truth hope was crushed in disgrace
My youth wasn't long to stay.
I write not in self pity or complaint
It has made me stronger than I thought I could be and made me who I am today
My words aren't always pretty to say.

Lovers and friends will come and go,
If they're true perhaps they'll stay.
The difficulty of today will pass,
Try not to wear its stains.
In the dark I've seen the other side,
Know when I say it'll be alright,
I've gone to hell and back to make that claim.

Through my eyes,
My human eyes
I saw you standing there
Afraid with eyes bright
Aglow with instinctual light
A hint of recognition sparking to life
A smile of mine
With kind eyes
Will they show you my compassion?
Sitting down in the moonlight
Waiting patiently while you pace
Wild and untamed with feral eyes
Nothing as beautiful as you roams the night
Our empty lives incomplete
You are free and I sit silently
Forever gazing at each other
Separated by mere shadows and light
My beautiful wild sight
I'll watch you every night

Mirrored lake
Disturbed by a falling leaf
Gentle ripples spreading out
As the leaf sticks to the surface
In a moment becoming one with the water
A person comes along
Seeing the still lake with wonder
Disrupts it by tossing a stone
A satisfying vacuum plump
As the stone hits and sinks
Pulled down to watery dephs,
For longer than the one who threw it there will live
Ripples from the epicenter
Stretching across the mirror
Distorting all who stare
In time the stillness returns
The waves disappear
And the stone becomes another resident of the mirror
Someone is always throwing stones
And life is dropping leaves
But the mirrored lake always returns
Asking you to look into it
Without tossing stones.

It's old and it's new
Going round or changing the numbers that accrue
Chiming and clicking for every moment I ever knew
A stranger that marks each second and moon of blue
Never dying on its march of eternity without a clue
That it was never real but only perception's fool.

If time were a fly,
It'd buzz around and die in 72 hours time
If time were a candy,
It'd be bittersweet
If time were a string,
It'd be crazy and go every which way
If time were a memory,
It'd never be complete
If time were a ship,
It'd be drifting in the horizon
If time were to slip,
It'd be but a tick of eternity
Time's arrow split,
Like a candle wick
What a trip.

I wrote today
As I do most days
A journal locked away
Kept for posterity's sake
It doesn't hold my name
And the grammar is far from okay
I wrote today
As I do every other day
Tears no longer flow
And anger does not taint my soul
They both have found a home
In a the pages of my tome
My journey has taken me here
To the land of no man, alone
No footsteps to guide
I wrote today
An inscription of the person I am for another day
When I forget the shadow that led me this way.

Tonight is a night of hallow
One we cannot share
In light or dark
It's a night beyond compare
Of wonders and horrors
Blatant to disregard my care,
Of what I speak
A wile of mine
That wanders my sacred places
Of grey and white
And where the caged beat roars,
Upon the midnight stars
Roam the horses
Of winds and dreams
Running fast
Upon cosmic sleet
The void of all who seek
An endless well
Reflecting each question back on thee,
Tonight is a night of hallow
The trees have said to me,
Follow the roots
Twisted and gnarled as they may be
White and black
For every scar and age
Ash upon your feet
Not to return from this night,
A night of hallow
A lonely journey of the soul
That must be complete.

Tonight is a night of hallow
One we cannot share
In light or dark
It's a night beyond compare
Of wonders and horrors
Blatant to disregard my care,
Of what I speak
A wile of mine
That wanders my sacred places
Of grey and white
And where the caged beat roars,
Upon the midnight stars
Roam the horses
Of winds and dreams
Running fast
Upon cosmic sleet
The void of all who seek
An endless well
Reflecting each question back on thee,
Tonight is a night of hallow
The trees have said to me,
Follow the roots
Twisted and gnarled as they may be
White and black
For every scar and age
Ash upon your feet
Not to return from this night
A night of hallow
A lonely journey of the soul
That must be complete.

My mind fizzled today
Hasn't been at it's best for many days
Thought I'd write and found myself rambling
Until I read the last line did I see there was a method to the disease,
I thought myself empty until I saw my face complete with neither love nor hate in my company.

It rattles and shakes,
More than half of the fake fur is gone,
Exposing the plastic underneath
That doesn’t change how much she loves it.
A little toy mouse,
Nearly as old as she
She carries it like a teddy bear
In her mouth, safe in her teeth
It goes in her water dish and in her food,
To bed and down the hall.
A kitten and her toy mouse,
Such pure love,
A beautiful thing
I hope any love you have
Is as pure as a kitten and her toy mouse.

Waiting in line
For the train to pass
Storm clouds moving swiftly by

A man steps aside
Lights a smoke
Waiting for the train to go by

Impatience in the air
Traffic lights
Rushhour time

Tack, tack
The tracks shake
Electricity sizzles

Sun fighting for a chance
But the clouds dominate,
Rains held with a sigh

Waiting,
No one watches the clouds pass by,
Not enough time

Breathe,
Love, if you listen,
Breathe

When you die,
The trains,
The traffic lights

You won’t think of these
But of the clouds,
The gentle breeze.

Waiting
Waiting for our time,
We’re all ghosts walking by.

The train roars through
Hustle on
If you don’t stop,
The clouds will never see you pass by.

I've walked this land
Those streets you see
I've been that way
Those mountains up high
I've roamed the trees
I keep moving
A traveler of this life
Seeking my way
I've taken many roads
But often not the easy way
It's not in my nature you see
I welcome those who journey with me
Whether for part or the whole way
Stay if you please or feel free to leave
It'll be quiet most of the way
For a single day or a life you see
I'll be walking this land
Until the end of days.

Levels and the layers grow
Rings running me down
Honestly I gave in long ago
The cusp of the hole you're sitting at
Is a lie of what the dead have said
Subjectivity is objectivity in shadow form
Five senses all colored in different glows
I hold my blows
Never wanted to be the one to bring it crashing down
But you're calling me from your mighty throne
A paradigm of empty minds
Asking for honest truths from my very soul
A stranger who I don't know
Asking me for blood down in my core
Shatter the plains
Burn castles to the ground
I bring my sword out now
I'll drag you down the hole of questions with no bounds
Empty your soul
Bare bones
Ask me for honesty and I'll shake it down
Can you handle the sounds?
The darkness all around?
You wore me down,
Now I'll no longer protect you from the hole
Welcome to your new home
Truth and absolutes, black and white
Lies you never learned kept you in check from the battle within.

You looked about twelve
With hair that had grown dark
You were gangly and thin
And could run fast
I chased you through the field
To that lonely hammock
Swinging in the breeze
The shade of the tree keeping us cool
On a warm summer day
The sky was so blue
You asked why I didn't smile like you
Or had fun the way you do
Looking long and hard
That youthful face came anew
The smile when I'd climb a tree
Or any other height
The scrapes and bruises from building a contraption or two
My smile did fade
And my eyes did dim
Now that I look at you
Can I play with you?
So I can remember
All the things that took me from you.

Should you ask of me
I'd give it all away
Light each broken candle
In eyes of grey
I'd find the silver in me
Make them gold
So they warm you in winter's breeze
Each drip of wax
Runs down my cheeks
Burning before its path is complete
Oil and sweet scents
Burn brilliantly
Each night I light what's left of me
Watch myself burn
Feel my warmth radiate through me
A thousand tears for each
Light the way
Twelve Candles
Lit in me

Like every day it comes and goes
A number on a page
Of September moon
The sixth day just like my great-grandmother
Except she she was in 1920
I came on Labor Day
My mother says she took the meaning seriously
But that was many years ago today
Three, six, nine
I've got them in spades
My poker face hides the smile that never fades
Born in dying heat of Autumn blues
Refreshing cool and end of summer
Have always been my restful cue
Twenty-seven may it be a good year for you.

Languages die and the faces change
Names fall away and cultures die.
Once we worshiped gods,
Now that's changed.
When asked of the divine,
Our answer was simple on the divide.
Gods never die and men always do,
So raise your glasses of wine
And drink to our dying kind.
The mortal life is fading light,
Greeks and Romans knew this plight
As did many others who lived this life.
No matter your race or creed
Let's dance one last time.
We have the fate of dying,
Each and every time.
For the undying watch,
In grim murmurs
Of mortal life.

The heart will not be silent
Its begging is laid bare
An aching wound wanting more
Confessing a painful sore
Friendly eyes no more
A sign of the coming storm

Darken the door,
Trying to prove his worth
He never had to
She saw his value long before
She knew his thoughts
His gaze said it all
Her answer did not change
She cannot be what he needed her to be
He did not believe?
Should she share some of the darkness in her?
The parts no one sees?
Past the pain there is calm certainty
He deserved what she could not be

She'd be lying if she said otherwise
A better friend she'll be
True and loyal to her dying day
Let her be that
As a lover she is complex
She would burn him to ash
Few match her flame
She can be everything,
But please a lover she cannot be
A friend like her will be a gift
She won't go away
Release the grip

Perhaps a drink
Something to wash this emptiness off
It was right
But the heart aches
An echo of a lonely beat
But a lover she could not be

Three ranges
Running North and South
Miles expressed homeward bound
Jagged peaks
Plummet down
Earth's chest breathing in rise and fall
Easy now
Two valleys
Empty barren lands
One road stretching down
Through the valleys
Where shadows dip
Painting their shrouds
So the sun may not beat down
Three ranges
Two valleys
One road
Summit peaks and empty creeks
The valleys do speak
To all who travel the open ground

Hanging vines
Wrapping around limbs
Gently caressing broken skin
Bringing the body up
To mother's embrace
Holding the bare chest
Soothing its quiver
Dripping moonlight
Over the beating heart
Letting it flow down the roots
Pulsing life stretched in water veins
Hanging vines returning life
To all who ask
The tree of life.

I walked in the hills by my home,
I heard a whisper in the trees and stepped closer to see,
A vulture talking to me.
"Do you think they know?" He asked as I watched him pick flesh from bone,
A carcass decayed and old.
It was a sickening sight to behold.

"It shouldn't bother you so." He said.
"The grass and trees. Do you think they know?" He asked again.
I shook my head, confused.
"Where the soil and nutrients come from in which they grow?" He asked

I listened to this bird as he scavenged from death.
I thought him mad,
But as he spoke I saw the wisdom of his words,
"Dead things come to grow and life never goes."
I watched him eat his fill,
And it was no longer ugly but a beautiful thing.

I walked away wondering if they know,
If any know how we grow.
From soil on mountain peaks to the river that flows,
Death is only fear of change from what we think we know.

My riddled words,
A mystery haunts me,
As if I’ve seen the ending
And it’s driven me insane.

If it wasn’t for the day,
I’d never leave the night.
I’d forget my way,
And my name.

Dancing on the edge,
Of a cliff that’s far too high.
I’ve fallen many times,
So much so I know the climb.

A delicate day,
Spring just a short distance away
Yet winter still promising May.
This time of rebirth reminds me….

I left the kettle on,
Before I woke up in this place.

Come to empty your soul
Of its wants and needs
Pay with your desire
This is Walking Weep
Where talk is cheap and the band never sleeps
Take the left road there
Right after the willow tree
We sit on the crossroads of hell bent and apathy
Have a drink, it's free.
Sit on down and tell the barkeep,
Whatever keeps you from a good night's sleep.

It comes by
Passing time
Telling stories of yesteryear
With a gleam in the eye
And scathing wit for the blind.

Look at life this way,
A simple lie told at night
To children who have never seen the light
And wonder what it must be like.

A wanderer once came
Speaking of foreign things
Perhaps the madness is true
And the watcher watches you.

Home is a storm
Raging winds whipping life in,
Electricity crackling just to be alive,
Gentle rain starting off light
Until it remembers its torrential might
Breathing was never easier,
Than in a sky that’s alive
A heavily released sigh
Perfect Chaos
The heavens aren’t angelic sent,
But raw power with its teeth on edge,
Rage and creativity breaking its cage,
Where the ancients create,
And darkness plays with the wind

Home is a storm
Only for those who grin like a kid,
When the warmth goes,
The shelters close,
The precipice beckons,
And the storm begins.

Silver lines stretching infinitely
Atoms of dust
Stars crushing themselves alive
Checkered across the plain
Webbed waypoints supporting the tapestry

Life among the stars spinning fast
Fading brilliant lights
Scattered dust among the skies
Pondering an infinite cycle of why
Oblivious to the Weaver's gentle nudge
A cosmic string intertwined with dusty lives
Cradled by gravity to keep stomachs tight

Stories of old
Creation's magic and a socerer's stone
Fervent prayers of desperate souls
Each cry an echo vibrating a string
Of the untold and grieving nights
And heroes and villains of the heart
Empty throes if only known
The pain would surely go

A Weaver of majesty
Knows her tapestry
Each fiber taut or loose
Is a making of her own
If gravity should let us know we aren't alone
Our stories will never grow old.

I was given my name
At the beginning of this charade
One for the dead
Another for a babe
The last is rarely said
But I'll answer to it all the same
Though it doesn't always make sense
It's my passage on this ship.

Tips of wheat brush gently across my fingers
I weep
But there are no tears that stream
Or muffled sobs
Only me in a field of wheat
A place among the stars
Why here?
In this field of golden stalks and grey sky
I'm answered by the breeze
Caressing my face with gentle embrace
Sight fades for feeling's sake
The illusion of life slips away
I am left with these golden stalks and breeze
Here I am free
Among the wheat with my lonely tree
I rest peacefully