It seemed that out of battle I escaped
Down some profound dull tunnel, long since scooped
Through granites which titanic wars had groined.


Yet also there encumbered sleepers groaned,
Too fast in thought or death to be bestirred.
Then ,as I probed them, one sprang up, and stared
With piteous recognition in fixed eyes,
Lifting distressful hands, as if to bless.
And by his smile, I knew that sullen hall, -
By his dead smile I knew we stood in Hell.


With a thousand pains that vision's face was grained;
Yet no blood reached there from the upper ground,
And no guns thumped, or down the flues made moan.
'Strange friend,' I said, 'here is no cause to mourn.'
'None,' said that other, 'save the undone years,
The hopelessness. Whatever hope is yours,
Was my life also; I went hunting wild
After the wildest beauty in the world,
Which lies not calm in eyes, or braided hair,
But mocks the steady running of the hour,
And if it grieves, grieves richlier than here.
For by my glee might many men have laughed,
And of my weeping something had been left,
Which must die now. I mean the truth untold,
The pity of war, the pity war distilled.
Now men will go content with what we spoiled,
Or, discontent, boil ******, and be spilled.
They will be swift with swiftness of the tigress.
None will break ranks, though nations trek from progress.
Courage was mine, and I had mystery,
Wisdom was mine, and I had mastery:
To miss the march of this retreating world
Into vain citadels that are not walled.
Then, when much blood had clogged their chariot-wheels,
I would go up and wash them from sweet wells,
Even with truths that lie too deep for taint.
I would have poured my spirit without stint
But not through wounds; not on the cess of war.
Foreheads of men have bled where no wounds were.


I am the enemy you killed, my friend.
I knew you in this dark: for so you frowned
Yesterday through me as you jabbed and killed.
I parried; but my hands were loath and cold.
Let us sleep now...'

Eyes of tigress look—
Her gentle ways gone at night,
Sacred and profane.

My friend, she's watching you,
Stalking you, claws extended, fangs exposed,
Waiting for a chance to swoop
And dismember,
Waiting for a time to ****.

My friend, she's watching out for me
Because I can't.
She is my tigress, pacing on bloodied paws
Living for the moment she can pause, frozen
And leap, finishing you forever.

You do not stand a chance.

Songs of innocence
Conjured in the shadows,
Where one furry companion
Found second breath
Out of repleting absence
And petrified longing.

Childhood stories retold,
Locked away once by the rough hands of wicked awakening.
Two pairs of eyes have seen
What no one dares to look back.
One pair- pulsating blackness,
Welling with bitter waters.
The other pair- fixed granite,
Yet shining with frozen mourning.

Wish I could get over you
Like I get over fences
But you, my brick wall, it's a free for all
And my brother started talking in his sleep
Or maybe it's just me
I don't know which is worse

It’s so hard, my love
Hard to say, hard to tell
With you it’s something of a tale
Hard to say, hard to tell
The story of us
Hard to say, hard to tell
Sometimes I wish you could forget about me so you didn’t have to tell the stories
Hard to say, hard to tell
The stories that bring a slight twinge to your ears and eyes
Hard to say, hard to tell
I apologize that I’m difficult to get rid of
Hard to say, hard to tell