Confliction,
Deception,
Introspection,
Retrospection,
Contracepti­on,
Reflection,

Who art thou?
Who am I?
Who are you?

Bicurious,
Heterosexual,
Bisexual,
*******,
Demisexual,­
Asexual,
Homosexual,

Alone,
Joined,
Separated,
Unison,
Loneline­ss,
Together,

Rambling,
Scrambling,
Galloping,
Struggling,
Baski­ng,
Scattered,
Are My Thoughts.

Who are we to say,
That they and those with whom they lay,
Are forever condemned to eternal fire on this day?

They say they speak for the one above,
Yet who are they to say who and who God is to love?

Are we not all one and the same,
Denizens of this world living under one name?

Yet, instead, we intend
To hate until they bend,
And seek their inglorious end.

Let us love one another,
As sister to sister, brother to brother,

None of us are free,
Until our brothers and sisters see,
The day they may sor in the sky,
Shackleless,without a sigh,
As they reach their dreams, saying goodbye.

If you have a moment,
Sir or Madam,
would you please hear my lament,
of the sad and woeful tale
Of Fail.

Hidden behind masks,
Enscribed with who he wished to be,
Yet,
Ever so deceptive,
Of his true identity.

Today, I am Ceasar,
Tomorrow, Shakespeare.
Yet,
These masks,
Are but a tool...

Tomorrow's play,
They will soon say,
Shall be my most glorious act,
Known to man!

With no regret,
Do not fret,
I shall don the greatest of all masks...
Myself!          

Now, you may ask,
Who is Myself?
We put our true identity on the shelves,
To show no mortal, not even ourselves!

Yet,
perhaps...
Bear with me...
If I were myself...
I would be content with myself!

No, no, no...Forgive Me!
Who am I to say this the way to be!
The only way to be merry...is to be someone who I am not!
To please others is the way to attain happiness, is it not?

Fail discarded his "Myself" mask that day,
Yet, forevermore, everyday,
He questioned who he was,
As he never truly felt to be himself.

Now, since you have stuck by me until the end of this tale,
And, with the unfortunate Fail,
I inquire of you, and, please, discard all of your masks, if you can:
Who are you, really?

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.

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.

Just your touch,
A mere caress, a slight graze,
Sets me into a feeling, an indescribable healing,
The insignificance of my soul's bleeding,
Paling to the brilliance of your presence with my wound's sealing.

Without remorse, let us gaze upon another,
As brother to brother,
Or lover to lover,
Or dealer to healer,

With this contemplation,
Let us meet once more,
Even as we realize death is but a door,
To that harbor,
Where we will never again be forced to say farewell.

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.

Ravage me,
Brutalize me,
Tear me open,
Savage that you are.

Wash me in your despair,
Submerge me,
Drown me completely, let me not breathe,
Twisted that you are.

The pain...wonderful!
Drink the brew I concoct,
Even as I wither, you in ecstasy shiver,
Savor my pain, as I suffer,
Barbarian that you are.

Plague me, Strike me, Clutch me tightly, Let me not go,
Enjoy it all, the despair, the tragedy, the confusion, the hopelessness,
Sip on my downfall,
Even as you,
Gaze at my depravity.
Take it all in, even as you,
Delight in my downfall.

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.

Should I curse thee,
Even as you brush me free,
Without a care in the world, without a thought,
Even as I lay here, wondering what I saw in you, what I sought,

Is it possible, that your words were true,
Or was it just your treacherous brew,
Just another sly snare,
Punishment for my fascination with your soul, the dreaded fare,
For revealing all, for baring my wounded soul's damage without a care?

Yet, as days go by,
With my endless sigh,
I feel that you are but one,
Another fleeting sun,
And even with your setting, I am but at a loss,
As my heart beats for no other, my beloved.

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.

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".

Linger within me,
Stay forever more,
Woes begone,
As I succintly taste your essence.

Fresh memories of you,
Almost as if yesterday,
Brighten me to nostalgia,
Even as if I feel your fingers on my wrist,
Even as I feel you never departed, pulling away,
Leaving me, alone, to lay in wait, for that fated day.

Gaze at the darkness.
A part of you.

Yet, you refuse its advances.
Saying, you are pure.

Yet, our world is not pure.
Thus, how are those blasphemous words...
Spewed from your lips?

Accept it. Embrace it.
The darkness teaches you.

Use the darkness in you.
Realize that all good is dark, without a doubt.

Yet, the good retain their strength,
By realizing their dark potential,
And, still, steering away from acceptance.

Welcome the darkness in you.
A part of you.