The clock struck midnight, and a figure stood before me.
It was garbed in black robes with a stench so foul
That my nose bled while a chill encroached my body.
Who are you? I ask while suppressing my bowels.

I am Death, and the time has come for you to go.
There’s nothing left in this world for you to savor,
And your absence will surely go unnoticed … so  
Come along now, I am doing you a great favor.

Bu-but, why so soon? There’s so much left to do!
What about my family? I haven’t seen them in years!
There’s so much I’ve yet to learn, knowledge to accrue,
And don’t get me started on unconquered fears!

Death erupted in laughter, as if it heard a timeless joke.
I’ve heard that drivel for eons. Please say no more.
For decades you’ve sat on this couch sipping some coke.
You’ve amounted to nothing; you’re a total bore.

Tell you what, I’ll give you one more chance, just one.
Turn your life around -- give me a reason to spare it.
Fail to value your life and your soul is mine, my son.
You only live once, so your life you must cherish.

Thistle ****** draw the blood,
Jolt from their timeless lulls.
Candle wicks singe the flood
Of ignorance infested skulls.

Watch the fair complexion
Be siren to their common eyes.
A god to provide direction,
The answer to their cries

Words sweet as golden honey,
But toxic to their souls.
The wise dismiss it as funny
Until the joke runs stark cold

Bigotry is their dole
Scapegoats on the menu
Brick walls they patrol
If you cross, they’ll **** you

Scrawny dogs lap up the brine
Of what’s thought to be milk.
Nameless number on the line
To cloak him with purple silk.

Once the throne is prepared
And the cushion well plumped
He’ll suction your air and
Have your humanity *******.

Gasping for fresh air
Standing on your tippy toes
In a sea of books

Hair gray, glistening with wisdom.
Wrinkles carved by life’s ordeals.
Eyes blinded by decades of vigilance.
Ears failing from listening to our distress.
Hands shaking, frail from lifting spirits.
Legs aching for always leading the way.
Throat sore from hours of discourse.
Back curved, encumbered by our worries.
Heart swollen with unconditional love

Ah, the contours of your head upon me,
Let me lull you with my soft touch.
Your thoughts trickle into my stuffing
Every night.
Please share with me your day;
There are no secrets between us,
As you whisper them to me.
I’m the basin for your emotions,
Absorbing your screams
Tears,
And laughter.
Fits of rage? I’ll be your enemy...
Pound away.
Hold me tight so I can comfort you.
I’ll be your companion whenever alone,
Projecting vivid dreams all night long.
I know you best.
Come lay your head and rest.

They tell me I should smile more,
But I’m just lost in thought.
I like picking at my scabs and sores,
Each one an emblem of the battles I’ve fought.

Some people find solace in Summer
With its mirage that all is right.
But I thrive in the chilled Winter,
Relying on my inner warmth and light.

Go ahead…

Call me a dark cloud raining on your parade.
Call me a moping miser wallowing in pain.
Call me a bloated tick thirsty for attention.
Call me a filthy sinner unworthy of redemption.

Flimsy words deflected by my impervious mettle.
Don’t you know steel hardens in the furnace?
Leave me be, let the storm rage then settle.
Only then will I break the water’s surface.

Afterwards, I’ll mount a drifting log and ride along
Down sorrow’s stream until I reach the estuary.
Where purity meets the brine from tears’ song
And entrust my fate to the ocean currents to carry.

Humanity always seeking absolute bliss,
Condemning suffering to fathomless pits.
But under the covers of sleepless nights
Amid the sobs, wails, and blistering spite…

Out emerges a self-revelation,
A subtle truth whispered in the dark.
Cathartic release through meditation
Only bestowed by sorrow’s mark.

They tell me I should smile more,
But I’m just lost in thought.

The starless night was lit by a blood red moon.
Tendrils of fog invade the air in pursuit
Of the living dead who walk among us.
Door by door it creeps.
From every crevice it seeps.
Hungry for souls drenched in evil
Conjurers of suffering and upheaval.
The hour has come for retribution --
Iniquity will face its execution.
Gravestones tremble at the passing of the fog,
Awakening the dead from their slumber, years long.
Skeletal hands tear up the earth,
Groping for those who revel in hurt.  
Wolves howl in unison as the army of death
Marches forth to gather the wicked in bed.
Help us! Scream the vile vermin
While being dragged across the coals,  
We plead forgiveness for our sin,
Have mercy on our souls.
Deaf to their cries, the dead carry on
To bury the evil so that it may forever be gone.
The dead return to their graves at morning’s call
To sleep with the wicked once and for all.

As I lay myself in a field of yellow daffodils,
I gaze at the boundless blue canvas before me.
Why is your beauty so enrapturing?
I ask Mother Nature.
Why do you insist on giving
Despite the affliction we bring on to you?
How much longer until you give way
To our reckless savagery?

I wait for a response, but none came.
Only the swaying of the daffodils to the
Beat of the breeze tickle my ears.
Suddenly, a resounding wail was heard
Rousing me from my trance.
The heavens opened up and a volley of tears
Pierced the ground as wild gales
Devoured the yellow surrounding me.
Critters scurried for cover from the
Wrath of Mother Nature.

Forgive us for our transgressions, I cried out!
Forgive us for ignoring your plea for mercy!
Forgive us for lashing at your gaping wounds!
Forgive us for stripping you naked time and time again!
Forgive us for failing to appreciate your tender care!
Forgive us! Forgive us!

Mother Nature looked down upon my contrite heart
She immediately hushed her violent rage.
She smiled and embraced me with sunlight.
The critters came out of their sanctuaries to
Greet their Mother.
The daffodils resumed their dance for her,
As I stood still, awestruck  by her splendor.

Slug inching across to the other side,
What’s so near, apart, a mile wide.
Snap, and an answer you’d expect,
Moment of silence, an eon to reject.

Indeed, wine becomes finer with time,
The taste of patience, all but sublime.
Sour hours drag as the clock ticks
While nails nibbled down to the quick.

Frantically searching for your other half
Only to be impaled by rejection’s gaff.
Blessed are those who patiently wait,
For there’s always a fish for every bait.

At first it may seem not worthwhile,
Surely your reward will crack a smile.

Sound the trumpet; ring the bell.
I must come out of this crystal shell.
My thoughts revolve around myself.
Save me; I’m nailed to my bookshelf.

I’m immersed in the world I created:
Ideal, just, and outdated.
Disillusioned by bleak realities,
I prefer to dwell in my own fantasies.

You say I squander my time?
That I will leave no legacy behind?
Well I say it’s not worth it,
Even if assured a golden casket.

Why bother hollering at the deaf?
Why bother waste by breath,
When I’m an insignificant speck,
Who happens to be a total wreck?

My voice is hoarse, almost mute.
Why insist to prolong my pursuit
To speak for the voiceless,
To be a martyr, a putrid carcass?

But my spirit shouts and rattles
To fight all the unfought battles.
If no one speaks, who will?
I’ll just be like those who ****.

Sound the trumpet; ring the bell.
I must come out of this crystal shell.

It lurks in the shadows waiting to pounce
Knocking, knocking on the door of self-doubt
Seizing the moment when your mind is most frail
To whisper the lie that you are destined to fail

How to muster the courage to use your voice?
To stand one’s ground amid the deafening noise?
Fear claims that you have no power to influence
A wicked world flooded with malice and avarice

“Who are you to spark change?” you hear Fear say
A nobody, an impotent soul who wouldn't last a day
In the midst of pressure where all eyes are fixed on you
A slip, a fall, will mark your inevitable doom

“Silence!” you command the ghastly parasite gnawing at your heart
I am in control of my own destiny; I will not fall apart
I forbid you to discourage me from pursuing my dreams
I will not back down; I will move forward, you scream

Fear flees for its life, as if caught in a storm of hail and lightning
It cringes at the sight of your courage, oh so frightening
It melts into the shadows once more
Watching you take to the skies and soar

Friends come and go, but
In the most violent of storms,
Blood ties are life lines.

There in the bushes!
A rustling of leaves
An ominous growl piercing the silence
What to do? What to do?
Run for my life?
It might run faster
Stand still?
I’d be a dead man
Hurl a rock?
I’ll provoke it
Pray for God’s deliverance?
Not in good terms with Him
Play a soothing tune?
It might find it revolting
Send forth a thundering noise?
It’ll leap out and tear me to shreds
Offer some steak?
It’d want more!
Resort to diplomacy?
It has no brain!
Plead for mercy?
Hunger has no mercy
Start a fire?
Will take too long
Build a trap?
It’ll most likely not work.
Decisions! Decisions!
Oh, no!
The beast lunges forward
Devours my head
The price of indecision

Do you hear that?
That soothing hum?
Subtle but present
A continuous string of sound
Assuring you that all is static, immutable

How about now?
That crescendo, beating at your eardrums ever more intensely
The notes become more discrete
More jumbled
You find no pattern, no coherence
No order
Just as you think the nonsense will subside,
It persists, driving you a bit mad
Tears trickle down in frustration

But behold, there is a faint melody
Trying to dig itself out of its grave
The ghostly tune begins to materialize
Alas, you hear the most glorious symphony
An orchestra of heavenly proportions
Playing in unison as your spirit is lifted to the mountain tops
You feel empowered, like an emperor leading his legions to conquest
You grin emphatically as you absorb the warm glow of the moment

Suddenly, complete and utter silence envelopes you
A suffocating silence that isolates you from the world
Is this the end?
Was life worth living?
Am I truly happy?
The Song of Life must go on

Do you hear that?
That soothing hum?

Seek and you shall find
A poison as sweet as honey
Cloaked with benign intentions
To right all wrongs
To forge the perfect future

Not all will marvel at your pristine vision
Only inferior minds would dissent
How to clear the path to progress?
How to gift sight to the blind?
Why, resort to the art of deception
Cater to the hungry masses
Caress their ears with empty promises
Sate their primal appetites
For the time being
Only then will your agenda carry through

Crush all opposition in the name of peace
Your way or the highway
No mercy to those who undermine
The Savior of the people
Worthy of praise and worship
What an honor to kiss your feet

You need more, more of this Power
Cannot quench this thirst
The narcotic to rule them all
What has this poison done to you?
Look what you’ve become
A vile monster, bloated and disfigured
Cold and indifferent to the cries of those beneath you

The throne is no longer yours to keep
The people have rebelled against you
You’re left alone to wither
In agony, consumed by Power’s poison