Let fall pillars of terror's reign
Let fall statues of fool's gold
Too long hath sheep swallowed pain
Too long hath vultures flown bold

Far into the forest where the crippled creeks wept,
Where sweet springtime fades with promises unkept,
A rotted cabin sat under gnarled arms of trees, wheezing its final breaths in autumn's breeze.
I was too young to turn back in fear as the ache of curiosity pulled me near.
Traces of rust where hinges fell left doorways to gaping mouths of hell.
Shards of glass like shattered bones lay in the musk of time's ripe decay.
O, but in deafening silence it seemed I still could hear the floorboards scream.
Every step within those walls left me longing for an otherworldly call.
The ghosts of the woodlands forever roamed every crooked nook and crack of this home.
Entranced I stayed until the black of night seeped into the corners of my long abandoned keep.
And its spirits trailed my steps as I walked away, promising to return again someday.

O child, shiver and shake the dust from your wings, fly again!
Lo, the harsh caress of unrest beckons you to ignore the pain.
Look down upon us as we fall victim to the ebb, paralyzed and doomed in the spider's web.

O child, shiver and shake your fingers toward the scarred sky in praise.
Your vengeful gods bestow upon us no kind mercy or embrace!
Shards of glass rake soft flesh as we crawl to the gutter,
Did we ever deserve mercy from your Dark Mother?

O child, shiver and shake so you may flee the atrocities!
Flee the terrified cries and the eyes of the dead!
Death never dwelled beneath your bed, He is here!
Look down upon us as we shiver and shake with fear!

We stare at static-plagued screens and scream--

"Shiver and shake, the sky shall break!"

I am done with this game you play; alas, we can't all have our way.
I'm more than a toy you choose to enjoy at your leisure--
Do you think this brings me pleasure?
In a moment's time, you are both mine and not, never were, or will ever be!
Do you like fooling me?
You bait and tease and fill me with unease,
But you have a love to appease you--I do not.
I never have, and may never know that ease of heart.
Do you even care that it tears me apart?
Am I wrong to feel this way?
Yes, and no, I suppose.
I respected your wish, and gave friendly hands,
But compliance can't even meet your demands.
A friend comes with no expectation; and yet, a friend knows when the game is done.
You can't offer me heaven only to drag me through hell.
Oh well, I sigh, and blow a kiss.
You confess to know this--
This halfhearted bliss!
But the game goes because you know I won't win.
Go back to your comforts and leave me to rot within.

On golden strings hang both heart and mind
Ever chasing a taste of the divine
Sunrises weigh my dilemmas with care
Suffocated by waves of restless air
I drink up vast oceans of laughter and tears
Unfazed by wayward emotions and fears
And yet, I am still stagnant

Dissonant voices scream harsh choices
A beam for my love and another for my death
As above, so below, Justice weeps beneath

Child of Venus, she is calling my name
Corroded by both beauty and shame
Cupid feathers fester under her touch
O, if only love did not cost so much

You did not understand the depth of your demands, and I wonder if another's response would vary.
I was weak in the face of seduction and your elaborate production, but I realize it now--

I was temporary.

Your sudden desire to be close should have drawn caution, and frankly the memory makes me gag when I consider how my vulnerability was too bittersweet for you.
Were you trying to tame a shrew?

The lack of boundaries was likely my fault, because I felt so wanted I refused to halt you despite my usual sense of self-preservation. You had no reservations about crossing hard borders until my humanity started to bore you.

Every little playful touch and kiss was your way to hold me in a false sense of bliss. I was never worthy of love because then you would have no way to stand above me. Real love requires equality. You used my emotions against me.

Take your pretty light and let me be. I was a dying star in your galaxy.

Weave a new start for this wasted heart,
And set fire to what is left of my bones.
I never truly owned this anyway--
Alas, I was fine this way (I lie).

You gave me something to consider
With no intention of leaving me bitter.
I guess you may not understand it, but--

But, let me be clear.

I love (and fear) when people come near me.

Affection is a condition beyond norm.
I always have to perform to achieve
A physical feeling I didn't believe in.
Love is a fable for us unaccustomed
To sweet, stable, abled affection,
And it was conditional for me.
Every touch required a fee.

I am no perfectionist; no, I am a mess.

I am shredded silk and soured milk,
And twine twisted around fingers.
Have you ever kissed a cactus?
You never asked for this.

Why are you still here?