Locked behind the doors of my heart,
good wishes sleep unsaid
Whose key I’ve lost and yet to find
…this lonely empty bed
With dreams undreamt and vacant nights,
the hours linger on
All hopes and tidings unfulfilled
—and feelings all but gone

(Warsaw: March, 2022)

Time is not the enemy,
but a forgotten friend.

Infinity is just a word from where I stand.

Go ahead, time,
swallow me again.

Your wrath is something I can stand,
though your indifference is exhilarating,
so let's make amends.

Whether I wish it or not,
I am part of your cycle.
As the day and night change
they remind me of my constant revival.

I always rise
when the tides of change are near.
I do my deed,
I grind the gears,
I bring about chaos and, again,
I disappear.

Use me as you have in eons past.
But, please,
assure me this time will be the last.

It's not that I'm tired,
it's not that I'm worn,
I just want to know that I am born
for something more.

Maybe I want to explore,
not just be an object of admiration or scorn.
Maybe I just don't want to forget,
as when the world's needs are met,
I usually return to the chaotic primordial set.

Am I just a chess piece you use,
is this of my own will?
I've been the beggar,
the king,
the jester
and the shill.
I've been a source of fear,
the precedent of love,
a conniving thrill.

I've forsaken my odds,
I've played with your so called gods,
I've brought droughts and floods
and nights oh so dark.
It's been so,
and now at the end of this age,
again I shall start.

I've lived your countless archetypes,
I've been both,
the bringer of death and of life.
Now, I'll combine all the dualities of the mind,
let the day and night intertwine in my eye.

I've transferred the whispers of the heavens to the earth,
I've transversed the worst,
I've applauded those of worth.

I've guided the weary and inspired the brave.
I've flown above the mountains of Hyperborea,
and I've been in exile,
forced to hide in ancient, primitive caves.

I've endured,
yet I've remained sane.
I've procured change,
yet I've remained the same.

I never caved,
I never swayed.
I've been played,
but those I've played with
never did have their way.

You know how many I've saved.
You know how many I've killed and maimed.

So, please, listen to my voice,
let it reach your throne of gray.

This time,
Time,
I want to stay,
long enough so I can find my true face.
Long enough to be displaced,
and diversify my fire
until it cannot be traced.

And the world looked on
remembering tales of death and destruction
from parents and grand parents
Sacrifices made by so many so we would not suffer
"They shall not grow old"

"lease we forget"

One man did

women and children are dying
"Age shall not weary them"
are we just going to watch
"At the going down of the sun, and in the morning"

And the world looked on

The hooves graced the stage
And we artlessly digress
Like a bed of scorpions
Beneath turned stones
Unhinged and entranced
By the dance of flesh and bones.
Stings tremble with anticipation
Cowardly poised to poison  
Perfecting pretense for defense
All scrambling for impunity
Among misbegotten virtues
And self-serving fidelities.
The vassals to a bloodborne crown
Trade nations for silken sheets
Hoping that the toast of upheaval
Could fill the hungry beast
But the glass refills another round
For a charade of witless relief.

A gargantuan force
Sat in idle unrest
On a worn-out chair
Hellbent in disrepair
The grotesque unbecoming
Midst the evening antics.
The soiree didn't mind
The overburdened seat
It chose to anchor motion
Too indulged in the notion
Of exchanging pleasantries
Across the gold linoleum floor.
Too late to close the door
Pity the masquerade
Trampled by the serenade
Of an invisible weight
The uninvited guest
Now a guest nonetheless.