A place within Light where Darkness lives,
Amongst a Fate that takes, exists an Anomaly that gives.
A portal from Life to existence beyond Death,
Along a Journey that claims man’s last breaths.
A power of magnitude that surpasses infinity.
Somewhere amongst Holy divinity.

A Man fraught with Sorrow,
A Being tortured by Memory,
A Warrior abandoned by the Fallen,
Haunted by what had befallen.

A Sword meant to ****,
A Weapon sharpened to make men still.
A Tool created to protect,
By claiming lives in ways men cannot detect.

A Cowl that covers and hides,
A Hood that casts shadows and lies,
A Veil that enshrouds and denies,
So He can conceal his knives.

A Mask capable of engulfing identity,
A Barrier empowered to separate him from enemies.
A Facade designed to warp their perceptions,
In order to fulfill a scheme of deceptions.

A flash of blades and a wisp of darkness,
Remain the calling cards of the heartless.

Gold and Treasure,
Power and Magic,
The draws of Man that make him tragic.
  
Keeps and Castles,
Woods and Mountains,
Places full of Dangers and Fountains.

Books full of tasking Riddles,
Complemented by Quandaries of Fiddles.  
Practice Swords and ensuing Bruises,
Unfair Flurries and Flashes an Apprentice Muses.

Time turned to Strength,
Time turned to Power,
Forces called forth that make men Cower.

Each step recorded in History,
Each word captured in Tune,
As the Shadow emerges along with a Rune.

He was depressed,
He was alone,
His eyes were a window to his soul.

His face scarred red,
His skin rounded,
He feared the eyes around him.

He thought he loved,
He sought for silent clues,
His silence masked maddening hues.
  
His friends around him,
His stuff in trees,
He feared loss when bullied.

He hid his anxiety,
He contained his fear,
His hate for showing up to purgatory remained in here.

His faith faltering,
His feet slipping,
He stumbled through the dark searching for something.

He wanted acceptance,
He wanted a friend,
His steel walls would not let them in.

Fat, weak, slow,
Ugly, stupid, selfish,
His thoughts echoed his perception of himself.

Until he was answered.

An ultimatum,
A friend,
An answer.

Now these things are behind me.

Breath and Life,
Beauty in Green.
Brought up from Dirt,
Into majestic Purity.

Droplet by Droplet,

I pause to Guard my Ink,
As the stream from above,
Lulls me to sleep.

It covers my surroundings,
In a dew of dreams,
As I admire its Truth and Levity.
  
Heavy Rain reveals its secret,
Hidden within the Mist.
Miniature Worlds greater than our own,
Where I tend to find my Home.

Drifting in thought,
Exploring new lands.
Step by Step,
In Soil anew,
I place my Flag.

I Conquer and Claim,
Unraveling Time and Space.
So my pen can stroke,
Lands of ash and smoke.

Or clouds and seas,
Birds and Bees.

And in the end,
My pen obeys,
Whatever the commands of a spy,
The fancy of my Mind’s Eye.

A Man killing in the name of Justice
A Brother slaying another in Self-defense
A Son firing a round into an intruder in Fear
A Nephew taking up a sword for his Country
An Uncle giving up a criminal to the Authorities
A Grandfather using his cane in response to Violence

A Need for
Power, Money, Fame.
A Response of
******, Theft, Oppression.
  
A Need for
Justice, Vengeance, Retribution.
A Response of
Judgement, Violence, Restitution.

Two sides of the same coin?
Who is the villain?
If both are the victims of the other,
Who is Guilty?
What then is Justice?
Who shall decide?
You?
Will You be the one to throw the first stone?

Do Good and Evil,
Equate to Yin and Yang?
Balanced forces of Light and Dark.

Or,
Is Evil apparent and easily discerned from Good?
Contrasts of Black and White.

If Neither, Nor,
Do they mix into a swirl of indecision?
A mess of self-righteous Grey.
  
What if it is my own life I sacrifice?
What if I am the one taking the bullet?
Not in a suicidal attempt or mission,
But instead in protection of Good.

Am I the Villain for causing my ******?
Is the intended Victim the Villain for being targeted?
Are the Witnesses guilty for not acting?
Are You guilty for being unaware?

History is written by the Victors,
So do they command Justice?
  
Does History demand the mantle,
Of deciding Right from Wrong?
Everything unsure in the Present,
Until the Future decides.

If You name me the Villain,
I’ll wear it in Red,
Speak in Riddles,
And break the Rules.

But if I name You the Villain,
Would You do the same?

You tear us apart,
so we come together.

You say not enough,
and we ask how much.

You lie to us,
so we distrust ourselves.

You claim we are nothing new,
and we search for flaws.

You say you are nice,
so we turn the other way.

You pile more on,
and we stumble under stress.

You force failure upon us,
so we accept the guilt.

I do not accept this.
I will not stand for You any longer.

Your actions are unacceptable.
Your actions are immoral.

I will summon change.
I am going to destroy the status quo.


Your world will change.
And I will be there to watch you Fall.

I have lived as the black sheep.
I have conformed, and I have said “Yes, Sir.”

You point at me and say “Privileged,”
You play the victim and blame me because I am different.

I will not stand for “Entitlement,”
I have made the climb to where I am, but will not also make it for You.

You are afraid of Me,
so you put me in the box.


I now falter under the weight,
I struggle under the stress that controls me.

If Balance is broken,
then the Chaos will reveal itself.

I am not Chaos,
I am Change.

I am not a black sheep,
I Am.

A Cliff, a Chasm, or an Abyss?
No. A small Step.
I see a kingdom before me
With Insurmountable walls,
Uncounterable Guardians,
And an Un-Defyable Tongue.

Words capable of stopping a sword,
Words able to move hearts,
Words that capture minds.

Dust to dust,
My walls and kingdom shall fall,
In Time.

But, my Words,
Where shall they go?
Changed, Shifted, Stolen,
Truth to Myth to Legend.

What then is the purpose of the Soul?
Not like the wind, it holds weight.
Some have a price, others do not.
A beginning, an End, a Question,
Up or Down?

Darkness. Doubt. Depression.
Sin that is forgiven leaves Scars.
A Double-Edged Sword,
With no Victor.

Up and Down,
Around and Around,
We choose to Spin.
A shift, a movement, a Change,
And we fight.

Freedom, Right, Law, Justice,
Justifications for Enslavement of the Mind.
Inequality, Discrimination, Unfairness,
Differences used for Victimization.

Power, Money, Greed, Selfishness,
The Root of All Evil?
Or is it Me?
Who Am I?

Who are You?
Are you not me?
Identity found in Nothing,
Creates an unfillable Void.

Loving from afar, within our minds.
Interacting with only our clones.
Finding qualities that agree with our disposition.
Entertaining each other to distract from our lives.

I am night, a knight.
I am darkness, eternal.
I am keen, too sharp.
I am immortal, but shapeless.
I am ruler, without power.
I am omnipresent, nowhere.
I am all, yet none.
I am death, an angel.

Am I honorable?
Am I evil?
Am I dangerous?
Am I existing?
Am I supervisor?
Am I present?
Am I anything?
Am I alive?

He is pride.
He exists enshrouded.
He cuts deep.
He outlives all.
He has control.
He follows everywhere.
He remains hidden.
He takes life.

I am a mask.
He is my cloak.
I am life.
He is the shadow of my mind.