There is a certain warmth in the winter.
Born within the four walls that we call home.
Despite the frost enveloped window-pane,
I find a flush blushed up against my cheeks.
A grin spies itself upon our marble faces,
love encroaches itself within the gloom.

A snow globe surrounded by ink.
A freshly lit candlestick's heavenly glow.
A mother and father slowly swaying
A gaggle of children conspire and cringe.

We have arrived at the solstice.
We have arrived at the season of cheer.
We have arrived at the moments of unity.
We have arrived, and we know no more fear.

We all once hid a smile beneath our eyes.
Yet looking around, all I spy are scars.
From the pockmarked faces of beggars at my feet
to the curated sculpt of suits storming down the streets.
One common thread remains in the young and in the old.
They surface only pain, and burn it in the cold.
But why would a child offer such a distant stare?
I cannot understand, what demons must he hide?
If all good men are wicked, then perhaps I'm better blind.
It offers a dull anxiety, a decay of all that's good.
My candle wax is dripping, my clock has come unwound.
But still I shuffle on, still I wander past the veil of gloom .
I hold these moments dearly, let them imprint in my mind.
Despite the pain, despite the doom, one thing holds true.
I have my love, I have my life, and that will see me through.

A bad man stared me in the eye with a punctured gaze.
Oh god whatever shall I do?
Oh god whatever shall I say?
Mother wished me a happy birthday.
Father wished me good luck in my journey.
Brother sisters please just utter my name.
My wife, my beautiful wife, will we ever be the same?

I don't want to take that bullet.
I don't want to fry my brain.
I don't want to sing the chorus.
I don't want to be so lame.

Whispers in the surf, a skull at her feet.
Gently she looks over the charcoal plains.
Remorse fills her eyes, she kicks at the skull.
Turns on her feet, tiptoes away, silence.
The tide picks the bones, they drift away.
She feels nothing, she is already gone.

A fool sits and watches idly from his hill.
Unsure of the detail, but sensing their weight.
He sips at his drink, and lets it soak in.
A single tear shed, this will resonate.
A drop of blood bled, this will consume him.

Our love grows stronger, we are not star-crossed.
I hold on tightly, I hold on dearly.
My grip is ultimate, this I promise.  
Flesh and bone, night and day, still I stand firm.

I cannot, will not give up on my wife.
I cannot, will not give up on our life.
Though simple I may be, this fact I know.
I love you yesterday and tomorrow.
Our lights may fade, the stars may grow dim,
in spite of it, our outlook is not grim.

I find my words getting lost in the mildew.
Expressions lost, is my sadness valid?
Surely not, my life is filled with beauty.
But I cannot strike down this dull devil.
Watching, waiting for the cracks to appear.
I wonder, will he ever leave my side?
Or is this marriage til death does us part?
Til death. I wonder how fast that clock ticks.
Like a heartbeat or perhaps a race horse.
Perhaps the time draws near or further still.
I do not know, I am merely a pawn,
and I know that this game is not quite done.