Sharp are your thorns,
Delightful are my moans,
In savoring your groans,
I close my eyes in contentment,
Feeling the ecstasy, the joy, I have been sent.

Even as you cause me pain,
I feel myself slowly drain,
yet, I do not feel my heart slain.
Rather, you are rightfully my existence's bane...

Just watching you, being with you, tasting you...all of these and more make me feel alive.

All of life is fleeting,
As everyone is slowly fleeing,
Trying to find their way in life, Seeking
That place that makes them whole, always moving on, always leaving.

Life's constant uncertainties,
Is its many secret beauties.
Each opens up something new, a hidden door, a new gorgeous corridor.
Allowing us to reach new levels, to seek more, and to magnificently soar.

My quest towards my dream, that expanse,
Though lonesome, though tiresome,
Was swayed by you, and no other.

As if you ****** a lance
Into my heart, so gruesome,
You were my shadow, more than a brother, not just another.

Always propping my head up,
Even when I was down, even in my darkness,
You gave me something to rely on, something to pine over.

The feelings I developed were not abrupt,
Over time, I came to see you as more than just the harness,
For the horse I would ride to greet my dream upon dawn.

Every time you were in danger,
I despaired.And each time I would save you Death, that stranger,
I felt you gave me something to die for, not just in vain.

Now, even as our comrades are torn apart, and in this hell,
Just seeing you makes me sweat,
Just your touch makes me melt,
And, with that, tolls a distant bell...

My life flashes before my eyes.
Seeing all those who were destined to die,
For my dream, And though I tread upon them, And though I do cry,
I am not finished here! I must continue onward to its completion!

Guts! Guts! You alone...

The thousands of others, enemies, comrades,
None made that mark upon my soul,
None filled that empty hole,
As you did, as you made me feel warm, made me feel alive

You took me away from my path,
A pleasurable venture, away from life's enduring wrath,
Giving me that soothing, refreshing bath
Of what it feels like to savor every minute, every minute on this earth.

You, and you alone, obscured
The vision of my dream,
And, for that...

Our eyes meet for the final time in this land.
This is the accumulation of all our moments, marked by that brand,
And, even as I now wish to caress you with my hand,
It is not to be so, as you must now join the rest of the Hawk, my band.

With my last smile,
Even as you look upon me with denial,
I tenderly whisper...
"I submit".

Gaze upon nature,
How it is so mature,
A ever-changing fixture,
And an enticing lure.

Viewing its splendor,
Its eternal glamor,
Its undying resilience,
And its constant resistance,
We will never conquer Mother Earth.

Beaten down, yet never giving in,
Always resisting to all, always sharing its treasures regardless,
Nature is the beautiful pure maiden,
Ruined countless times by man's intrusions, yet forevermore retaining her piety.

Taking my genuine emotions, my heartfelt feelings,
Grinding them under your heel, smashing them,
Laughing as they are crushed beneath you, yet cruelly stealing
My heart once again, without remorse, a resolute goal without resting.

Why? Do you yet stand under the sky,
Leading others on, yet forever saying goodbye,
Simply to feel wanted, or by many  desired,
Or sought after, though you simply leave those in your wake shattered?

Curse you.
For those who you leave bereft,
For all those who wept, who were left, for not realizing their worth,
May you also feel that despair, even within your mirth.

Remember, when others have left you alone,
How there were those poor fools who reached out,
To be there for you at your lowest, To aid you in your doubt,
To get acquainted with thy soul, To soothe your wounds,
But you turned your back,
Saying "Maybe another day", still urging for their attention, even then,
So, may you sow what you reap,
You oath-breaker, even as you read it and weep.

Dear artists,
You clear the human mind's mist,
For complete clarity, For daily struggles you bring about bliss,
While the darkness of human's souls abound, you bestow a gentle kiss,

What are we? Just fools?
Or simple slaves to society, simple tools?
Used, then discarded?  Or, when finished with, thrown aside?
Yet, we of the arts, do not mind, even if we are in this bind.

Certain is that we are mankind's aid,
Serving our fellow man in countless ways through producing a relaxing shade,
With no secret vice, no secret blade,
Always with a supporting hand, destined to never fade.

Sincerely,
A fellow artist and admirer.