A beast inside
Gives comfort,
Yet ferocity.
A place to hide,
A friend to know.
A foe to fight,
A sense of timeless lies.
A monster may guard me,
But he traps me as well.
Pinned against a wall of thoughts,
A chain tied to the weight of myself.
My demons protect me,
As they scrape swords 'gainst my brain.
I'm a free prisoner to them,
Until they need me again.

We're more than tired conciounce tied to broken frames,
More than crying eyes linked to broken hearts,
More than clenched fists wired to ****** flashbacks.
We're a species.
We feel
We  ARE
We experience love, hate, pleasure, pain, jealousy, empathy, greed, guilt and countless other things no beings ever have.
We've spread our reach beyond our world.
We've created monuments that dance with the stars.
Our buildings kiss and rise over the clouds.
We were born from the heavens.
We created both peace and war,
And have each for the other's sake.
We **** each other in droves as new life flourishes within our race.
We are both a balance and an imbalance.
A creator and a destroyer.
We've made mistakes,
But we try to learn from them.
Hello,
My Name Is Human.
Welcome to Earth.
Population: Boundless
We're a strange people...
But we're not so bad really.

I stopped today,
Wading in the ripples
As time flowed around me
In all directions.

And I understood.

We are all alone,
Yet together.
Our existence and isolation
Bind us infinitely.
Our experience and ignorance
Bring us empathy and apathy.
Our love brings happiness.
Our hatred brings violence.

We are all together in that
We are all human.
We are the same
For we are unique.

It feels plausible,
Like I'm living a play,
On the stage across from hers.
Sometimes between shows I sing,
Not very well,
But because it feels right.
And she sings in reply,
And we go back and forth.
More often I play small songs,
More pieces of songs really,
And if she knows them she'll sing as I strum.
We trade paper airplanes,
Secretly holding notes.
Talk quietly across the room,
Over the heads of an unknowing audience.
It feels strange to have a friend so far away.
It shows that there are friendly places in the world,
Though few and far between.

I'm not sure.
It could be anger or sadness.
All I know is that it rises,
It freezes,
And my chest is packed with ice.
An unbearable burning,
Like a frozen fire.
Fists clench,
Until all anger melts away,
And I'm left with nothing.
Bring the end unto me.

A dead man stopped me today,
In the big field under the willow tree.
You know,
The one with the tattered rope hanging from it.
And he told me.
"I know what you're thinking."
I stayed silent.
"You don't want to do it. It's not the way."
I just stared.
He sighed and gestured upward.
"That's my rope. My way out. But also the reminder that I gave up."
My eyes drop to the ground.
"I wish I hadn't. There was so much I never did. A lot I never accomplished. I wish every day I'd lived a little more."
I glance over and then step off.
He hangs his head and dissipates.
Later, I return to the willow tree,
And climb it.
I untie the tattered rope, letting it drop to the ground and open my backpack.
It was about time for a new one anyway...

Perhaps I made the wrong choice of words.
Of course you wouldn't be making me fight.
Savagery is my forte,
And combat is in my wheelhouse.
While having something...
Someone
To fight for, shall spur me onward.
I have no need for armor,
My teeth and claws will do just fine.
I would never regret fighting the war.
Liberating the mind of Alice from the evil things.
A deal is a deal of course.
But the terms were not set.
So a deal was never actually agreed upon.
Let it sufice to say that I will accept any recompense you deign to give.
I trust your judgement.
A contract is not necessary.
Nor is it appropriate.
We'll just make it up as we go along.
No worries.
Any sacrifices made would be worth it.
It's not every day you get to see the inside of a gingerbread house,
Or plant magic beans.
Unfortunately I'll have to exchange something other than my soul for them.

So many
Broken things
In this world,
Bones, hearts, dreams,
Promises,
Yet we still
Search for love,
Redemption,
Victory.

I'd just like to say I find it amusing...
Not like I don't appreciate it, but still.
It amuses me that some still think I can be saved.

I spQak and thQ ink whispQrs back at mQ.
Glowing, flowing dancing curvQs,
Adrift on the softsQt pagQ.
YQars arQ rQlQasQd with a singlQ stroQe.
CQrtain words contain a piQce of my soul. Qntrapped as thQy arQ,
ConnQctQd yQt isolatQd.
BQcausQ a lQttQr's sound can changQ,
DQpQnding on diffQrQnt combinations,
But it cannot be transfQrrQd.
ThQ words shinQ a hQsitant silvQr,
A tQstamQnt to days gonQ by,
To past lovQs, hatQs and judgQmQnts.
To timQs thQ words madQ sQnse.
But now I shall surQly sharQ thQ sQcrQt.
ThQ rQason my poQms are morQ rQal.
ThQ rQason thQy arQ blunt,
YQt only strikQ glancing blows.
I do my bQst to makQ thQ words what thQy want to bQ.
Because you can't force a Q to fit the part of an E.
Now rQad again and sQQ if it makQs sQnsQ.

By this blade
I free myself from
My weaker flesh
That it may be replaced
By scars and calluses.
I break myself before
Any other can
Because I
Never break
Twice.

Listen,
You're trying too hard.
Take a moment, and a deep breath.
What is meant to be will be,
What isn't, won't.
Nobody belongs anywhere,
We all die alone to an extent.
But it's the things we do on our own
That shape our character.
I know you're hurting.
I know you miss her.
We all have regrets.
But don't let the things you wished you'd done,
The things you wish you'd said,
And the things you wish hadn't happened
be the driving factors in your life.

Don't you understand?
I don't fall for just another pretty face.
My heart doesn't chase a shapely woman.
Promises of physicality are nothing.
These things are everywhere.

If you really want me,
Then weave a story that captures my attention.
Create a ballad that surrounds my soul.
Intertwine my heartbeat with your rhythm and rhyme.
Because your raw emotion is what will attract me.

And at the moment, I could use a medium of emotion that I understand.

The click of a lighter,
The tap of a can,
The rustle of a pack.

The nicotine keeps me sane.

A long drag,
A heavy exhale,
A purse of the lips,
Saliva on the pavement.

It rushes to my head.

Gives me the courage to debate,
Am I doing the right thing?
Is it all a mistake?
If I'm doing my best,
Why do I need to cope?

Stop thinking.

Inhale.
Exhale.

Let it wash away.
Let smoke and tar cleanse me.
So that I can keep fighting,
Another day.

Her words were stolen by the wind,
But the message was easily understood.
The fence was close to collapsing.
He knew he had caused this,
And there was no time to lose.
Obviously he wasn't meant to cross back over.
He memorized her face,
Every miniscule detail,
And offered a strangled
I'm sorry
Before turning and fleeing.
He shepherded the shadows as far from the fence as he could,
Trying to give it time to stabilize.
Trying to repair the damage done.
The shadows knew what was happening,
And they fought him.
The desired nothing as much as they did to escape,
To plunder the rest of the world.
The crack became a breach,
And the shadows began to rush through.
The fence then ceased to be.
The light seemed to hide as the shadows spread,
Infesting every corner.
He watched as his children changed her world,
And he hated himself a little more.

I looked up from where I landed,
And saw a face peeking over the edge.
Overcome with curiosity,
I forced myself to rise,
And came face to face with a startled girl.
And we started to talk.

I stopped a ******* the edge of the road,
The road we all walk together,
Yet alone.
Her face was red,
Eyes bleary,
Makeup smeared.
She kept murmuring:
"He doesn't love me...
He never did."
Your life isn't about gaining approval from others.
Her head snapped up.
"Who said that?"
An old soul who has walked the same path. The difference is you still have a choice.
A broken sob.
"But it was all a lie..."
Then find something real.
And something clicked in her eyes.
"Who are you?"
They used to call me The Silvertongue.
But the question you should be asking is who are you?

When you've realized you can't take any more,
And you do what you must,
Without leaving anything behind.

January 1st, 2017.
Another year of survival passed.
Another 365 days lived.
A bullet dodged each day for 12 months.
A mask worn for 31,536,000 seconds.
So I take it off,
Pick up my shovel,
And deepen the trenches.
Then I sit on a throne of obsidian,
And bid myself goodbye for another year,
As I lock myself away,
And put my mask back on.

One round
In the chamber,
Thirty in the magazine,
One moment makes a lifetime,
Two seconds taken to breath.
Three brothers at my back,
Four wolves in the hunt.
Five miles to ruck before rest,
Six hours to sleep tonight.
Seven days left for another week,
Eight civillians lost as collateral.
Nine houses cleared without incident,
The Tenth is where they're waiting.
Eleven minutes for the firefight,
Twelve rounds taken to the legs.
Thirteen minutes until Medevac arrives,
Fourteen month recovery.
Fifteen minutes left before lights out.

Mag is half full.

Sixteen hours to rest and clean weapons,
Seventeen men play cards in the barracks
Eighteen minutes left during fire guard,
Nineteen year old soldiers miss their family.
Twenty minute call home to loved ones.
Twentyone shots over a white headstone.
Twentytwo streets left to clear before dusk,
Twentythree families bustle in the bazaar.
Twentyfour hours in each day in hell.
Twentyfive men craving cigarettes.
Twentysix reports of gunfire this morning.
Twentyseven combatants killed.
Twentyeight days left in deployment.
Twentynine years old at honorable discharge,
30 family members waiting to welcome you home.
31 days in every month spent in the devil's sandbox.

Click
Mag is empty.
Drop mag
Draw new mag
Load into well
Hit bolt release
*Continue fighting

Black sweatshirt, hood up.
Black jeans,
Black boots, Black socks,
Black shirt.
I was asked tonight:
"Why do you dress like that?"
To which I replied:
"It's hard to blend into the crowd,
Especially when you're like me.
But it's much easier to blend into the background.
Especially if you're nocturnal,
And black is your color of choice."

That ever elusive line shifts moment to moment.
Even demons have their place,  
Make deals and trade the ****** for the distraught.
But he who walks the dark crevices in the dragon-land is not so.
It sounds like you have been flirting with Death.
I do not condemn you, I have done the same.
She promised me release and blew goosebumps into my skin.
Because Death changes,
And looks different to all.
Death has no place here to hold.
And no role to fulfill.
Take me to him,
Transfer my concious to yours.
The dragons are no longer the enemy.
I shall stand with them,
Fight tooth and claw.
I shall send Death back to its own realm,
Rip its throat out,
Snarl my victory to the shadows and make them flee .
He will burn.
The dragons will leave,
Recompense for ridding them of the Devil.
Then you will have no need for the monster,
And I will still be here.
Though dealing with wolves can be distasteful.
My silver tongue does not lie.
Do we have a deal?

I've pondered your words.
The ones that danced so elegantly across the page.
Those that held no fear, no regrets.
I should tell you...
The walls you wish to unravel aren't just there for my protection.
They keep in a monster.
Others can testify, I am no angel.
My tongue of silver has rarely been used for good.
And I don't feel any inclination to use it for good in the future.
I've broken my fair share of hearts,
Shattered my fair share of dreams,
And ended more than my fair share of lives.
I was trained to **** and then booted back into the streets.
I was charged with anger and released, deemed useless.
This situation is an example...
Look inside yourself. Analyze your feelings.
And think about what I could do to the world if I really tried.
Love is beneath me at this point,
And companionship fades quickly.
I don't think my walls are coming down anytime soon.
Nor do I think you should try scaling them.
Inside are my dreams,
Which equate to most people's nightmares.

An aborrent force,
Tugging, twisting, and tearing,
Ripping us to shreds,
As we are also compacted.
Made to mesh and solidify,
Until we are naught but one singular whole.

Life is a road
We are all cursed to walk,
Plagued by demons
Mischievous they are,
Haunted by a ticking clock.

For we all have our end
But the folly is we tend
To prematurely surrender.

I stopped myself today,
In between keystrokes.
I was deleting folders of death notes,
When I happened upon something.
In between pictures of that last family trip,
And a project that's rotted since May 5th,
I found a message.

A message that was (allegedly) from me, to me.

Dear Mike,
I know things may be tough. You may be going throogh a lot, but I know you can handle it. I'm you, after all. Hang in there.

Someone isn't nearly as smooth as he seems. He misspelled "Through".

I try to be
Bigger
Better
Faster
Stronger
I try to stay away
Distant
Isolated
Encapsulated
Unreachable
I try to fool myself to think I'm
Invincible
Unbeatable
Unbreakable
The master
I do know this
I am not the silver tongue
He manifests himself when he wants
I'm not nearly as talented
As eloquent
He is what I could never be
Yet his words pour from my pen
I am a tool
Nothing more

Dancing lights,
Long forgotten remnants of wars fight eons ago.
Wandering projectiles,
Set loose from interstellar cannons that have yet to find their targets.
'Till they feel themselves pulled in,
Where they rub against the heavens,
And burn to dust within the atmosphere.

On a ship off of the coast of Florida,
I met a girl.
She had wild curly hair and a wild beautiful smile.
She sat across from me in a corner booth and spoke of singing, dancing and acting.
A theater kid she told me.
A lover of dogs.
I could tell she was weird like me.

She reminded me of 4 years earlier,
My first day of high school.

Walking into first period and accidentally bumping into someone.
Turning to apologise and there was a hulking figure.
He had wild soulful eyes and a wild crooked grin.
He spoke about writing rhymes and performing live.
A misfit he told me.
A lover of his Chihuahua.
I could tell he was nuts like me.

Let me be honest,
Nobody wants to be like me.
But those that are?
We're unique.
We're crazy.
And we have way more fun than normal people.
We eat pizza on deck 5 at 3 AM.
We blast down dirt roads at 75 MPH. (Also at 3AM)
We live.

I'm a battered ship,
Adrift in stagnant waters.
My hull is cracked and I'm slowly sinking.
My masts are snapped,
Crows nest shattered on the deck.
My sails are torn,
Too ragged to harness the wind.
I was abandoned after the battle,
Labeled a loss.
The Captain decided I would sink in my own.
I'm wishing she'd helped me along.
Now I'm waiting,
Hoping I break up against the rocks,
Or breach my hull on a coral reef.
I'll be at peace at the bottom of the ocean.
Where the tide can't pull me back into that vicious cycle I know all too well.

You have no idea,
Yet you seem to think that saying
"I know how you feel."
Shows your empathy for me.
No, you don't and you never will.
So please stop wasting your time.
Just leave me with my misery.
I don't care what you think you know.
What you think you've seen.
It's irrelevant.
Pretending so you can try to relate doesn't help.
I don't want your ******* pity.
I think I'll be just fine without it.

I hurt myself because if I deviate from the scheduled pattern set for me, I'll go insane.
The only problem is that I can't always expect the pain to come from an exterior source.
Especially when I'm happy half the time.

They say that every person you've ever seen in your head you've seen in real life.
The boy in your head is out there,
Standing watch and waiting for your visit.
You're in his debt after all.
I guarantee he can't wait to see you.
Don't worry about the dragons.
They're not so bad.
Just misunderstood.
People used to feel the same way about wolves...
But I'm no monster, am I?
I'll go with if you'd like.
You can return with him.
I'll take his place,
Gaurd the dragons in your mind,
And release my soul into the sky,
Hoping the moon will hear it.