Hey, did you hear the news?
Some xyz girl from abc town—
Ravaged.
By a pack of hounds.
They dragged her to their den,
howled as she swallowed her cries,
took their fill as her body was torn.

Hmm, I see.
I pity her fate. I pity her kin.
But why spill this sorrow at my feet?
She was not my sister, not my mother,
not the moon that hangs in my sky.
So tell me—
why should I let her pain stain my hands?

Because silence, too, is a stain.
She was someone’s daughter. Someone’s dream.
More than that—
She was someone.

She was a river of laughter before it ran dry,
more than a name on the wind,
more than a passing grief.
And yet you turn away—
as if the sky did not crack when she screamed.

Then what?
What do you expect me to do?
Shall I strip the skin from their hands,
etch her pain into their bones,
make them taste the ruin they have sown?

Shall I break them, one by one,
starve them in the streets,
shove jagged steel in their ****—
and make them bleed,
until their breath is nothing but regret?

Tell me, what justice can I bring—
when I am just as weak as she?

No. Not weak.
Just as convicted as those hounds.
Not by touch—but by silence.
Not by deed—but by desire.
You watch the fire swallow homes,
yet curse only the rising smoke.

Oh? So now you carve my name into the crime?
You say I wear the same monstrous face?
Then bid me—
which of my sins does she embrace?

Do you not smirk when men murmur,
"If she wears a dress like that, she is asking for it"?
Do your eyes not feast on a girl’s *****
like vultures circling fresh flesh?
Do you not crave her behind
as she treks down the alley?

There is no ocean between you and them—
only a breath, only a hesitation.
They take—
You want.
Both breathe the same.
Both kneel before the altar forged in lust.

You wish to cleanse the world of beasts,
yet turn away from your own reflection.
Punishment will not unwrite her screams.
Will not stitch the night back together.

So hush your hunger. Steady your hands.
Let desire sit like an old dog at your feet.
Let your breath lose its bite.
Let your gaze learn the art of mercy.

For when we do not lust,
when we do not leer—
Tell me, who will our women fear?

I was never one to listen well,
I always longed to speak, to tell.
But love, for you, I’ll hold my breath,
And drift within your voice’s depth.

I’ll go where your soft footsteps lead,
Through winter’s chill, through summer’s need.
Through moonlit hymns, through golden fire,
Through every shadow, every desire.

So tell me, love, beneath this moonshine,
Will you be my valentine?

I’ve always been the one to fight,
To chase the glow of winning’s light.
But love, for you, I’ll lay it down,
And watch you wear the victor’s crown.

Your win is mine, your joy my breath,
Your smile could steal me back from death.
But mark my words—I’ll fight again,
From gold-lit dawn to moon’s last end,
Through every storm, through every trial,
For every tear and every mile.

So tell me, love, beneath this moonshine,
Will you be my valentine?

I don’t make promises, I never do,
So I can’t promise you the moon,
For it’s mine to keep and will always be.
But babe, I’ll give you what I can,
I’ll bring you stars, I’ll be your man.

Darling, lead me to your dream-filled land,
To a place where it’s just me and you,
The stars, the sky, and moon in view.
Let our lips meet, let bodies collide,
Let your soft touch be my sole guide.

Don't be scared, I'll hold your hand in mine,
And when the world begins to fade,
We'll slip into our paradise,
Just you and I, our bodies in the fading night.

So tell me, love, beneath this moonshine,
Will you be my valentine?

Baby, just whisper 'yes' and you'll be mine.

What to do, what to do—
Drowning in the tide of you.
Wishing to think out loud,
To tear the silence,
To let the world hear.

Morning unfolds in gold and hush,
Soft light spilling like honey on the earth.
You are the dew,
A thousand silver pearls strung upon the meadow,
Catching the sun’s first kiss.
You are the bird,
Skimming the lake at dawn,
Wings brushing the water,
Leaving trails of liquid light.

But I can only wish to do,
I can only wish to do.
For moments that once blessed me
Now turn me into a fool.

The sun stands high, indifferent at noon.
The dew I once watched from my window—
Glistens, untouched, in a stranger's garden,
Dancing beneath his gaze.
The skimming bird has taken flight,
Its shadow falling here,
But the light does not return.

And now, all that’s left is—
.
.
.
Sorry.

TOMMOROW MAN:

Oh, here comes the tomorrow man,
His fate held tight in time’s own hand.
In unborn years, his dreams take flight,
Thunder stirring his inner sky.
Its echoes loud yet far away,
Drowning the gold of fleeting day.

In Hereafter land, his castle lies,
So grand that even Gatsby sighs.
Here he revels, here he plays,
Drunk on the donjon he built so high.
But echoes haunt the gilded halls,
And emptiness within the walls.

Oh, here comes the tomorrow man,
Buried deep in yesterday’s sand,
Yet his heart beats in Hereafter land.
...........................................................­............................

Hereafter Land:

No countries here,
No king, No kingdom,
But castles vast as wandering moons.
Here rivers flow in reverse,
Here winds ride upon the sand,
Here all who wander long to stand,
For this my friend,
Is the Hereafter Land.

All stands as equal, yet stand above,
All eat what they not eat,
All see what they not see,
All kiss what they not kiss,
All feel what they not feel,
All here dandelions but dandelions,
All here grand but grand,
You've probably figured it out by now,
For this my friend,
Is the Hereafter Land.
...........................................................­............................

Where None Is All:

Some eyes never fall,
Some never leave.
But when those that do not fall do fall,
They are blinded by what they see.

Here lies a castle—
Reaching, always reaching,
Mountains beyond the stars,
A golden sea by a golden beach,
The sands, the winds, silver,
Carrying weightless whispers,
Lost in the clouds.

Eyes will never reach—
Not until they do,
Beyond the peaks of stars,
Where the gate stands—
Grander than the grandest thing,
Unseen.

And all the while—
Tender soul unaware,
Grand Castles they were
Building with sands of gold,
Sinks them deeper,
Into once golden, ashen river,
Where the flow reverses—
Beyond the mountains that fall,
Where stars break and break,
Where all is none,
And none is all.
............................................................­...........................

Wretched Soul:

All hope to be here, but cannot see beyond—
Beyond the edge of Hereafter Land,
Where shadows fall,
Stars descend,
And silver winds, hollow and cold,
Whisper of the suns and moons untold.

Drunk on the trails, veiled in the mists,
They could not doubt the dubious tales—
A place,
A place they sought,
A place they dreamed of,
Now, a place they wish to flee.

The sand sunk deep,
Grains of the golden beach,
Stars broken by the mountains
Peaks that reached too high,
Castle once grand,
Now their tomb,
The river swollen rises—

Now,
No matter how they creep,
No matter how they beg,
It is too late — It is too late
They kneel,
But wretched shadows will not let them be,
Dragged them to the Abyssal Sea.
It is too late — It is too late
They kneel,
For from all the wonderlands,
They choosed to dwell in the Hereafter Land.
...........................................................­............................

Be Wary:

Here comes the Tomorrow Man,
To tell the tales of Tomorrow’s Land.
Here comes the Tomorrow Man,
To tell the tales of…

What happened, Tomorrow Man?
Sweat on your brow,
A hollow glance—
Eyes dimmed, flickering,
Lost within the fissures of time.

What of the castle?
The maidens, the brethren, the servants—
Gone.

Did you not walk beyond the stars?
Into dusk, where shadows collapse,
Leaving behind the land of now?
Did you not step onto the clouded edge,
To rest upon golden sands?
Did you not reach the Hereaft—

No.
Do not utter that name.
Never speak it aloud.
They will come,
And they will take what remains.

I warn you:
Do not tread that path.
Do not seek it.
Not now.
Not ever.

It is but a dream—
All light, all gold.
All gold.

The river runs with it.
The hills are sculpted of it.
Even the stars—
Flickering.

Gold. Gold.
Everything gold.

But no,
It is not gold.
Not gold.
Not gold.

For it is never gold.

The land—
Haunted, murmuring beneath the surface.
A trapdoor spider, waiting.
The bones of men form mountains.
Stars burn with unquenched thirst,
Endless, eternal, thirsting.

Trust me.
Do not trust it.
Do not trust the dream.

It waits to eat you,
From the inside out—
It will take—
It will take—
Till there’s nothing left to give.

I barely escaped.

Brethren.
  Maidens.
Servants.
  Castles.

Fell.

When the slaves of the Abyss arrived,
They consumed it all.
Endlessly.

Save me.
For they will not let me be.
They will not let me be
What I truly am.

I ran, I ran,
I did all I could—
To reach you,
To reach you, children.

You must save me.
Save—

Children, don’t leave.
No—don’t go.
Don’t go there.

Listen to me, listen.
I said, don’t go.
I beg you, don't.

You must not.
You can’t.
You’ll break, you’ll break—

In that pandemonium of a place,
Where even the boldest bolder
Are broken by the ashen river.
Where even the dullest man
Will learn the twisted way.

You’ll break...

Tik, tik, tok,
Tik—tik— tok—
Tomorrow Man’s gone.
Tomorrow Man’s gone.

Tik, tik, tok,
Tik—tik—tik,
We see gold—
We see gold—
We are gold.

Tik tik tok,
Tik— tik— tok,
We will weave where?
We will go here—
We will go there—

Tik tik tok.
Tik... tik... tok...

Stop—
Please—
Stop.

They are listening.

Flee, flee,
Or the silence will break you.
Hear me, child, hear me—
Or you will be lost in their whispers,
Their hollow mountains,
Their broken castles.

For that is the Hereaft—

Tomorrow Man, Tomorrow Man,
You must not speak now.
Weren’t they your own words?

How sad,
That you thought you could escape
Our beloved land.

Tomorrow Man, Tomorrow Man,
Have you forgotten?

The law of the grandest land:
Strangers are not welcome,
But friends cannot leave.

Why leave?
Why?

Are you not enough?
Enough to wear the crown?
King of this place,
Creator of this land?

Tomorrow Man, Tomorrow Man.
Come back to the Hereafter Land.

We will take you back to the Hereafter Land.

Tomorrow Man, Tomorrow Man...

A reminder from a friend—
A friend from a future that might be yours:

Be careful.

For once you cross the threshold,
Once you enter—

There is no return.

Do not be like Tomorrow Man.

For there is no redemption.
Only the land.
Only the promise.
Only the hollow return.

For this, my friend,
Is the Hereafter Land.

This is our Hereafter Land.
—Your Hereafter Land.

I was frail as a child,
Crying over things so small.
But time, I thought, was shaping me,
Making me bolder, standing tall.

It was hard to find a friend,
To adapt or let my walls descend.
Indifference kept me safe, apart—
A shield around my fragile heart.

Tears was my first friend, it’s true,
But kindness found me on the way.
Their warmth dimmed my oldest ghost,
Yet she stayed—silent, gray.

My new friends were full of light—
Joy, wild and reckless bright,
Grace, the softest, always near,
And Love, small but sincere.
We laughed, we played, we had it all,
Where we felt home, where none would fall.

I left Tears behind, without a glance,
Too caught up in the song and dance.
But she stayed, waiting through the years,
Lingering in quiet tears.

Then life turned cold, the days grew thin,
And all the laughter caved within.
Joy dulled, his spark burned out,
Grace withdrew, now filled with doubt.
And Love—Love learned how to lie,
Fleeting, like a butterfly's flight.

I wondered, Why was I like this?
Why was it always me in the crisis?
Why couldn’t I just laugh at dumb jokes,
And enjoy the simple things like they can?
What if I could,
Would I still be part of their plan?

I couldn't think straight,
I was in my darkest time.
I ran to Tears, arms open wide,
Hoping she’d stay, stand by my side.
But even she had learned to go,
Like I had left her long ago.

I begged her back, I called her name,
Needing her to ease the pain.
But silence filled the space between—
The weight of all I hadn't seen.

Months went by, I played along,
Pretending I was brave and strong.
But deep inside, the truth rang thin—
I was lost, alone within.

Then Tears returned, quiet, small,
Saying she’d missed me after all.
And in that moment, I could see—
She was the only one who never left me.

So frail, so frail—I’d always been.
So frail,so frail — that Tears had been my only kin.