As I lay me down,
To feel
the shape I'm in.

As I wonder what went wrong
To put my body
in this hell,
of being.

My thoughts are as clear- now
As my fogg filled mind- now

Can't remember -anything
As it all blends- together
In time.
Can't call heads or tales.
On a double sided dime
Called life.

To equal not a thing,
If nothing, is something.
Then that must be, what I have.
Is time, not to equal a thing.

Help me from this hell,
Please help me find salvation.
Guard me tonight,
God,
Please help me find safety.
Help me see some light.
(Just a glimmer, a sign)

Challenged-
are my complexed thoughts.
To live,
under this control.
This-
my everymove.
Round and round,
We go.

Like a mad crazed- carni
Are my emotions,
anymore-
Round and round
dizzying,
Till I can't stand- no more.

I am the puppet,
my nerves, your strings
Pulling and tugging
With-
the pain you bring.

Tearing and shredding
all, my dreams.
I am at the mercy of this,
Un-named, disease.

You give me no choice,
But to lie.
Trying to deceive.
Pretending life is pretty,
With the ugliness in hate
That you breed.

Yhe enemy now lives,
where my soul use to be.
Pulling at my hearts
Very fragile strings.

Fighting to be brave.
Fighting to be saved.
To pray away,
All the pain.

I pray,
each day.
Praying, to stay sane.
Praying, everyday.
To my God,
I plea, show me the way.

Help me please,
get out of this hell!
Reverse to good,
This horrible spell.

Help me please.
Please God, help me,
Find my salvation,
Please God, I plea.

Guard my soul tonight,
God help, find salvation.
Please help me, I plea.
Guide me safe, to my light.

Invisible you may be to,
so many.
Sneaking into others,
with unfamiliarity.

Changing their lives.
Turning them upside down.
unsuspecting, without a choice,
until
One day when you are found.

The shape I am in.
With,
My mind worn thin.
This pain aches, in my heart.
Is where all the weakness
Does start.

God help me,
Guide my thoughts,
through the night.
Let me feel you, in me
Let me,
know it's alright.

Trapped in the middle of a forest.
Nowhere to turn,
Nowhere to run.

My feet, soft in sand.
Stuck, unable to move.

The leafs are falling on my head,
Down my face, like dusty  tear drops.
Rustling and crinkling,
Like some kind of uneasy sadness.

Crashing are, the now naked trees
As now they are screaming,
Screaming, for me to leave!

CLICK,
CLINK!
CLANK,
CLICK!

Leave my turf!
Warns the ornery tree.

I try to leave,
But each movement I make,
sinks me deeper,
into the ground.

Quick sand, this must be!
As I am sinking more deep!

Now, up to my neck
In the thickest of muck.

The trees still clicking,
Clanking so loud!
Sounding as if they were chanting a sacrifice.
Taunting me, challenging me,
Watching me whimper, for life.

CLICK!
CLINK!
CLANK!
CLICK!

The leafs,
Continue to fall upon my head.
One by one,
Driving me mad!
Like a mid evil water torture,
On my mind!

Is this to be my final destination?
My falling?
The heavier my thoughts - it seems,
The deeper, I sink.

The deeper I sink,
The more I think,
The heavier I think,
The more I sink.

As the deeper I sink,
The deeper I think.
This may be,
Is this for me?
The possible end of my time?

The more I think,
The deeper I sink.
Thinking, knowing, understanding
This is not the possible end of time,
But this is the ultimate,
end of my time.

The end of time,
All my goodbyes,
Sinking, thickening,
Deepening, in time.

Deeper and deeper,
Dark and deeper.
Until once, all my light, has gone.

All light, has gone,
Turned away, turned away
Blackened my sight,
Stolen my day.

Ended now,
my life.
In this forest of prey.

I bow to thee
Take my head
For I need it no more

I beg of thee
Slice it clean
Let my bottled thoughts
Absorb in the ground
As they pour from my mind
Bleeding patters of time.

As my thoughts pour
Unleash my sea of dreams
Unleash my once secret, secrets
For all to see,
while they still can
Until they all vanish deep
in the depths
of this trampled ground
To be buried for good.

I bow to thee,
in a guilt of plea
Take this life
And set me free

Lava like words
Flow
Fire like thoughts
Burn

Heartache, heartbreak,
Words heating so high
Temperatures in flames
Tonight

Misuse
Abuse
Bullet in vain
Aimed for the vein

Pretending to be blind
To prove thee others insane
When words are the bullets
You use in your game.

They tell me the sky is blue
Then why does it make  me so happy?

They say not to take things so literal
Then why do they get so upset?

If they want me to be honest
Why must I think before I speak?

Why are the only ideas of yours, they agree with.
Come from their  books?

Why is freedom of speech,
silenced once heard?

Why does history never change ou world
When we all live in a highly evolving society?

Why are we killing our brothers and sisters?

Why do we say we are civilized?

Why do we only care, when someone is staring at us?

Why do we only care, when we are the victim?

Have you ever waited
for a storm?
Have you ever seen
darkness form?

Have you ever seen
the brightest of days,
Quickly turn,
Its light to grey?

Have you ever
Stood in the eye of storm?
Waiting  for its power
Wanting the rain to pour?

The darkness, breaks our silence
We sometimes hold so long
Until,  thunders warning
Brews a untamed storm.

Our bodies, our universe
The sun, be our heart
The weather, our emotions
Waves of love hate, do part

Darkened clouds of despair
Words so thunderously shared
With warmth of the sun
Once in lived the heart
Replaced  pasts memberance
With tears, to a new start.

With love now scorn
New life is born
The collision of love and hate
Create the perfect storm.

Keep me in your prayers,  please.
Not prayers of sympathy,
But prayers of hope for strength.
Lend me your ear, please.
Not to listen, but be heard.
Take your time to understand why. Why I chose you to trust in confidence.
Leave both your ears and mind open.
Let both be willing to accept my truths, not your beliefs.
Just this once listen, hear, and absorb my mind.
Feel the existence of my true presence.
-the real me.

Sometime's we need to just let go.
Find your serenity and embrace the strength your soul is waiting to give to you. Your emotions are fears and it is o.k. to let them show, but never let them rule you,
Just let go. Love your world and respect your world. We need to realize and appreciate we are already in our heaven.

Bullied and beaten his whole life.
His body drown,
His soul trapped under ice.
Judged by a town,
He was a only  few,  
noone told their secret,
But, they all knew.
In the creek, in the town
Under ice, they'd be found
Wooden cross, sacrifice
Belief so strong, it took their mind.
Judging all who doubted a faith
Killing in the name of
Their fathers grace.
Nightmarish screams
Echo across the lake.
In a deserted town
Who'd never admit their mistakes.

Listening to the silence of the rain
Sitting in the candle lit flames

Scents of lavender and vanilla
Fill the air , I breath.
Listening to my thoughts
Re-writing some old memories

The wind is violent today
Tossing into the windows,
Is the rain.
So hard, the drops hit my glass
Running down to the ground
To be safe at last.

The puddles are deepening
Sewers overfilled
Streets overcome,
With water they fill.

There's  no electricity now
The rain has silenced,
this blackened town.

Listening to the silence of the rain
Sitting in the candle lit flames
Now all my neighbors, will do the same.
Read a book, or read your mind
Be guided by flame,
In the day times,  night.

He climbs a thorn filled vine
To scape over the tallest of brick walls.
Nail like thorns breaking off in his palms,
With each slightest movement of hand.
Some briars even as deep as breaking through the backside of his hand.
Although the pain immense,
His grip holds tight, to achieve the top of wall.
His legs shredded, from the razor like thorns.
Pants completely  torn,
As soon will be his flesh.
They say once a king has taught his men all they can learn. To beware, beware for some men take the gift of kindness to their advantage. Once shown the strength held in numbers, if his men choose anarchy. They can defeat and overthrow. Un grateful,  un knowing, selfish beings.
Unleash the Lions!  As he run for his life. With each grasp, climbing higher each time. Bloodied, torn and exhausted. Finally he lay his beaten body on the top of the wall. His once followers, never man enough to follow his call. Cowards! He yell with his last whimper in voice. ******* go to hell,
Once given no choice.

The day is dark as night
Once your heart grows cold

Your dreams, out of sight
wanting to reach, but feeling to old

The light that would once shine
Dims in the darkness,  
Trapped in my mind.

Never to escape,  
All these thoughts, left so far behind.

I never feared challenge, actually I have always accepted challenge. For it is simple to accept, challenge shows no fear. To erase “fear” from the vocabulary really makes any sentence with the word challenge in it a lot easier to over come. Fear is self made and taught passed down through generations as a tool, used for when we don’t want to, or don’t want others to do something. With out the word fear, what is a challenge? It is a simple feat given to us. A feat to help us learn so we may pass down our lessons learned, to others so they may have a smoother road in life.

Use your love as a shield. People who cannot accept it, shy away from it. Like the burning of the suns ray. While people who accept it, also live and understand its true meaning. These are the people who  will be true friends until the end.

Self appreciation-
Poetry is like the soul
The soul being a bird
A Bird singing in it’s field,
Carrying it’s wounded heart
Across a bare land of hope
In search of it’s dreams.
As a blind man,
can hear every note from the bird precisely and accurately.
A deaf man can see all her beautiful vivid colors in her feathers.
Trying to build strength along they way Not to lose faith On each of their hardened journey.
Facing the reality of each their own dreams truth, One on one.
Taking the time,
Looking in their minds mirror,
Giving thanks to their soul’s For the life it has given to them.
Thanking their life for Building a complete fulfilling memory Of accomplishing the greatest of ones deepest sincerities in goals.
-Pure Inner Strength

Walking through the midnight air
Thinking of the times we shared
You were sunshine I was sky
Nothing could stop us Except the time
Time of what Wonder I do
As we change so do faces, streets and time But that still won’t change The memories that I find
This picture stays to my brain
Then this way your still the same
Without sunshine You can’t see sky
Now I’m fading Since you said goodbye Without sunshine There is no more sky This is the end.
                        FAREWELL
                                            my sunshine

My rock, my soul, my everything I know.
My strength in comfort of the un-known.
My mind when my thoughts choose not to appear.
My voice of reason, that helps settle my fears.
You are my stability,  my only stability,  on this rocky road.
You keep me grounded, my angel, from harm and from falling alone.
You pick me up, to help me see the highs again in life.
Concur my fears, our fears, and help not only me, but us strengthen to carry on. Not only do I thank God for you. I thank you for being your beautiful self, for embracing my life with the strength and endless possibilities of true love and dedication.
Truly who you are, is the world to me. You fill my life with kindness and hope for each new day. You are more then my souls connection,  you are my soul. You are more then my lover, you are now the love inside me which grows. I love you more each day for truly who you are. I love you more each passing moment for truly who you show me I am. Gratefully and graciously I thank you.
Thank you, for truly who you are.

I am a stone.
I am the mountains stone.
With your strength,
You pick at me,
until I become to weak.
Until I can't take no more.
Losing my grip, slowly I separate,
With each hit.
Until finally, I fall,
Plumething down.
Rolling, bouncing around,
This ragged mountains terrain.
Bouncing off rocks,
Crashing to trees,
A never ending journey,
This seems to be.
Finally I land in to the rivers bed.
separated from my old,
I'll make this, my new home.
Submerged in water,
Trapped in a corner -alone
Camouflaged.
you'll never see me again,
Moss covered, green
Blending in, society.
Watching your every move.
Protecting all who you bruise.
Thinking I'm not there.
yet I live in your lungs,
For I am now your air.
I will decide,  when to leave you.
For all you have done in these woods.
Once you've realized to late,
You have killed all that's good.

I drain these once were words
Turned to thoughts.
From my pen, to paper
Yet you still refuse to read them.
As my pen ink drys
And tears subside.
Thinking this road,
Has come to an end, for tonight.
I swig my whiskey,  
Stare in my mirror,
Are you going to let them stop you?
All of your fears?
I curse to God, for he's  the only one who cares.
Light a smoke, as it rolls to my eye
The last of my ink, in my pen has died.
These words are no good,
Yet these thoughts, must be read.
I must carry on,
The message in my head.
I grab my worthy pen,
"Let's make history my friend "
Jabbing it's point to my heart
Filling it with my thoughts,
Torn apart.
Now I will write in blood
My thoughts of strength flood
My mind sets free
As my heart still bleeds.
Dying slowly, I smile
Finally you see my style.
Read these words, of once was I
Then burn them with my soul aside
Set them free to the sky
Scattered ashes, say goodbye.

Her eye's read sadness
Her heart filled with love
The city streets, filled with madness
The homeless were giving hugs
Not asking for much
Her eyes grew dim
Keeping her heart open
But letting no one in.
They saw in her eyes
A world filled of darkness and despise
Seeing to much of the city's night
Her mind was her shield
For her heart, they wouldn't steal
Fronting a pain so deep and dark
To strengthen her shield
Of a bullet proof heart.

The poet warlord
Dwells in the caves of thought
Enter my realm, if you dare
Come see my truth
Unravel my stories,
dissecting each word
Still to never know my secrets
I speak in riddle,
You live in rhyme.
I am always ahead
That one step,
Which you are behind.

The sun don't  need to shine
Let it stay behind

Welcome darkness
Sky so dark
Take over my feelings
Fill my heart

Stay behind, forever more
Take from me, my memories
Throw them from the seas shore.

Waves crash, like my emotions
Into a the breaker wall.

Never trying to understand
Just forgetting, it all.

You trust in no one,
Keeping your eyes squeezed tight.
Hoping they won't  see you,
As you turn out the light.

Like smoke,you want to dissappear,
To the night.
Hoping to blend in with the shadows
Keeping you out of limes light.

Never again,
Will you allow them to see you.
Never again,
Can they judge your will.

Hear your thoughts- in a passing bye.
See your face- in the darkest of night.

****** to a nation,
Of judgemental peers.
Painting the story of your life,
Filling your head with fear.

Click your heals together,  tonight,
Disappear, deep in the darkened night.


Abandoned, darkened and cold
Is the only place safe enough to call home.

Where being you, is feeling so real,
Not to live up to their lies.
Without  judgment
Of their dagger filled eyes.

My world has changed,
Yet my thoughts
Stayed  the same.
Evolution, revolution
-Round and round
Explain please, why did you choose me?
To live this life?
The question  - I scream
From the pain, built through the night.
Evolution,  revolution
-round and round
Disrupting  concerns,
Of your damaging behavior.
Like a prisoner, in his cell.
I'm trapped with you-
To live in your hell.
Evolution,  revolution
-round and round
Torment my nerves, strip them raw
Turn the rest of this world,
Against my every thought.
Evolution,  revolution
-round and round.

Beginnings, seeing the first contact of the meeting in our eyes.

Feeling, the first skip of my heart, as our souls are introduced for the first time.

Hearing, my mind calming to the tones of your voice.

Beginnings, aren't always just the start, but are also everyday

Since I met you.

The ground is damp,
My heart gone cold.
The sun don't  shine
Through the darkened clouds soul.
With fog filled eyes
And a near beaten heart.
My thoughts of you, grow further Each step, as we part.
The wind blows, to create a whirlwind of thoughts.
Questions to remain, forever,
To be answered in time - never.
For a new beginning,
With a vacant heart.
Moving on, alone,
For a brand new start.

Little things like understanding.
once added together, can build a strength we never knew of.
Listening, before speaking.
Speaking in lyric of fact, not opinion.
All lead to a understanding.
A understanding of yourself, learning to accept truth and facts.
Learning it is o.k. to not always be right.
Learning it is o.k. to listen, absorb and give benefits of doubt, when necessary .
Let go of the angered pain,
Let go of the ego, of having to be right.
Understand, we all have the right to an open ear, from the open mind.

Poets- you all think your good,
So unique- I call *******.
Trying to say your ideas are original,
When in reality they are just a bunch of regurgitated words from another visionary before.
That's right, your spewing of words once were, makes your breath  reak.
You taste someone else's thought,
Think if you chew it up and spit it back on a plate you can call it lunch.
When in reality, your serving warmed over left overs.
Unique? I think not.
Poets? Really are non existing
Dreamers, trying to pretend their situations are unique, maybe.
Or martyrs who think their lives should be the next big movie?
Now that's  more like it.
Tell me tour boring story, of your boring town. Wait!
Let me light a smoke and open a bottle first.
(I'm  gonna need it.)
There is nothing unique of love.
There is nothing  unique  of hate.
Oh, you had a rough life?
Well whoopty  doo!
Here, I present  the golden tear award for you.
Unique, *******!
Poetry- a cheap mask for the jokers ball.
A bunch of hand downs,
Washed and pressed.
So we can call them new threads
And try to impress one another.

A dark clump of ice
Blocks my soul, melting quickly
Turning my once clear thoughts
To unseen milky  visions
A body that once use to hold the warmest of hearts
Has now turned cold.
Like the sun, on a cloud covered day
The light doesn't  shine like it use to
The city's weather is uninviting,
Tonight.
So is my heart, that barely beats
To keep me alive.
It pumps the infectious thoughts of my mind
Filling my veins with blood as thick and dark, as the filth covered chunk of snow.
Lying in the middle of the cold darkened city street, slowly melting
Like my heart slowly deteriorating
Without the warmth of your soul.
My life is now an elapsing of fate.

I told her, I loved her
With a tear filled eye.
I told her I needed her,
All she could say was, goodbye.

Holding hands in society and in private is a true form of commitment.
Hold my hand while I lead you away from what makes you hurt.
Hold my hand while I guide you to your light.
Hold my hand in compassion.
Hold my hand during times of grief.
Let me know you are truly listening by holding my hand.
Congratulations,  shake my hand.
It's a bet, handshake confirmed.
Let's hold hands and be there for one another.
Help me be brave, let me know I am not alone,  take my hand in yours.
High five congratulations,  turn into a hand shake.
A handshake turned to hug goodbye.
Hand over hand shake of I will miss you.
A hand shake turned to bro hug, while saying goodbye to a friend.
A hand shake to share our emotions and introduce our souls.
A hand shake to confirm a end.

Lie to me again, she whispered

I love you, he replied.

My words are out of disbelief
When I say what's going on
Why are we killing so much anymore
We use to be civilized
Now We Are Just Barbaric In Our Traits And Quest For *******.
Call me what you will, say what you want.
All I want is all this killing to stop
All This blame To end
All the fingers to go in for of a wave, or handshake,
Instead if a judge mental pointing
Two wrongs do not make a right
Killing humans, is not a lesson we need to teach our children
There Is No Understanding In A World Of greed.
And no room for improving our future with in moralistic judgements and fear based thoughts.

Misty morning,  misty eyed
Rain falling from the sky
Memories fill my head
From last night, the last night
It was the darkest night
I ever have known
A tear fell for each thought I had of you
For each disbelief,
A shot of whisky, or two
You never believed in us, all this time
Never did you bring to the table of concerns, between you and I
Disbelief still lingers in my mind
Lying in the rain,
Erasing time
To think again, of what once was I
living my fantasy
Perhaps out of touch
During a time of what I thought, once was us.

Once the earth kissed the sky, then separated day from night. Only to then cause a rain storm from our heavens eyes. The warm tears fell,  landing on nature's ground. We're the starving rose lye, dying. Tears once rejected, now found there place, re-hydration to the rose giving life to his face. Rejoice from sadness,  build our strength. To accomplish all, and give back what we can't take.

There's a lot more in being alive
Then walking and breathing
There's also knowing

Summers day,
Sunshine my way.
Like a wild rose,
Growing in a field of lavender
Bringing a unique distinction,
Yet never over bearing.
Blending in,
Yet being my own.
A rebellious soul,
With a place to call home.
Sunshine my way,
On this summer day.
Greet me with a smile,
Even though I don't see your way.
Let us all understand,
We are all wildflowers,
Till the end.
Living for life,
In the same field.
Where all may be friends.

Like a piano, alone in the woods.
Blending it self and it's beauty
Within.
The trees, tall,
So strong, yet inviting.
Their leaves, move to a whimsical tune of the breeze.
Invisible notes,
Read by an unseeing eye.
Building a Symphony,
Starring only, one night.
Footsteps on the leaf filled path,
Write a story,
like notes filling their manuscript.
The key to the forest is understanding it's story.
The keys to the piano,
Decode it's notes to the ear.
Playing it's defined Symphony
Like it's forest, for only one night.
Simply for the two are unique
Not only to the eye and to what is heard.
But also to the mind, and what is thought.
On this one night,
During the meaning,
of true, unidentified, beauty.

Darling I will sleep with you
In my heart tonight.

We do not choose our lives,
Nor can we change our lives.
-at times
We can learn to accept our lives,
Take responsibility for - our lives.
Then live our lives,
To their fullest capabilities,
For life.

Smile me a river,
May it capture my dreams.
Carry them down,
Life's rugged streams.
Up and down,
splashing, scurrying
Hanging on by the strength in hope
From a easy flow,to a heavy hurrying.
From the littlest of waves,
To spinning and twirling.
Clench my dreams, carry them through.
All these elements,  to share with you.

Alive
At the sight of love
No gender, no color
No religion
Alive
At the sight of love
In sight of simplest thoughts
Believing
Two souls blending
Blending into a society
A society that sees all
Until all have blended as one
Until one is accepted
As all.

Her taste is on my tongue.
Her feel is on my fingers.
She's Electric to touch.
With her poetic mind,
Maybe her thoughts, too much.
Never seeing me, yet I see her
Live in her essence,
Love in her womb.
Skies of darkened gray,
Scare the sunshine, from today.
She's Electric,  she's a storm today.
Entriging energy, her strength, I pray.
To be electric,
the rest of my lives day.
Mother of nature, life to our world.
Fill me with your love,
May your electric love be unfurled.

Early morning,
Eyes still closed.
Staggering to my local coffee shop.
Swing open the door, and yell to the girl in front of the counter.
Gimme your strongest coffee!
She gave me a strange look when I gave her five bucks and said to keep the change.
I was walking out the door.
Trying to think how much coffee is now a days.
When it hit me!
I looked back through the glass, into the store.
I saw the girl "in front" not behind the counter,  ordering a capaccino.
This answered all my well thought questions I had pondered earlier this morning.
Along with a shocking revelation.
I just paid five bucks for warm milk!

She wore a green dress
I asked her name,
She replied,  Eve
She reminded me a lot like Christmas.

If you believe as I do,
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Then we need to believe,
In loving ourselves truly.
Once this love is unconditional then
May we let our light shine beauty
To the world.
Hoping soon for all to follow our footsteps.
Planting the seeds of kindness and enriching our universe/soul, for the most brightest of days ever witnessed by one's eye.

It's late at night, he's drunk again
******* on a cigarette,  writing about where he's been.
He sits as his usual table, in the middle of the room.
An old wooden table, his mothers mothers friend bought at a flea market, times ago.
There are words and scratches covering it's every inch.
Imprinted, from his nightly thinking.
So everynight, once he dumps his overfilled ash tray and cleans the clutter of loose papers, he can see all the memories he once wrote.
Memories,  not good or bad.
Just reminders of what thought each evening in past has brought.
Half words, half sentences,  words over words.
Complete mess, just as his life.
Not even a full sentence, as are his daily thoughts.
Broken sentences written.
Broken sentences spoke.
Broken sentences - read.
Double words over one another.
Slurred speech,
Stumbles in speech.
His thoughts lost in time.
As he reads all his lines.
Telling the same story over,
Every time.
He cracks open his nightly companion, sets his reheated pizza on the table.
Putting out his smoke and scratching his head.
Guzzlers his lagar,  before he turns in.
The morning has awoke,
Hours later, he would follow.
Stumbling to his table, spilling coffee over the scattered nights work.
Looking at all the damage the night has done.
He scratches his head, as he puts out his **** on the floor.
Exhales while laughing at the papers.
"Looks like you need it more then I do today!"
He began to walk away, finding some suds with a floating ****.
Then proceeds to drink his last sip from the earlier night.
"I'm going back to bed." He says, The coffee gets me sick anyway.

Our eyes can only be expected to follow their minds dream.
They will get lost if the road is closed.

Life is not a game, the prize has no name.
I am no king, nor are you a queen.
But we all are something else between.
Call the cards high and lows
Isn't this how our life story goes?
Calling life a game, like blackjack or poker.
Will never title you, except a joker.
Winning is in the eye of the beholder and becomes a lot less as we become older.
Leave all your games, pieces behind.
Then follow your heart, to a open mind.

Did you ever try to talk to the sky,
During its rain?
Did you ever try to explain,
To the clouds and stars,
Of your pain?

Did you ever want to be another soul, in a different time?

A time when time was a bit more giving,
A time when all there was,
Was giving.
Do you remember?

Understanding

A time for you and I,
Time to listen,
And extinguish all lies.

Did you ever try to speak to our sky?
Did you ever trust,
Never to question why?

Prayers to the rain,
Of you and I.
Cleansing our soul,
Seeing our light.

Guided memory,
Sights acceptance of clarity.
Do you remember, your inner beings
Inner sanctuary.