Strobes of light bounce around you
And the forces keep pulling me in.
Im out of my depth in this moment,
But the forces keep pulling me in.

The mystery compels me forward
And the shadow keeps me away.
Out of the darkness you appeared
To take me to solace once more.

Passion seeps from your words,
And the forces keep pulling me in.
Im scared to let myself go,
But the forces keep pulling me in.

I. Dawn

Dark, before dawn
asleep but
for some wandering souls
ask the winds, where do you go?
echoing destiny

II. Youth

friends we meet, those
companions on the thrilling
highway of life
past revolutions
and revelations
prisons and promenades

III. Love

beats the heart this way
but once.

IV. Anxiety

life, that master architect
chisels out our visage
inflicting pain and sorrow
betrayals, that
of least expected
disillusionment

V. Grace

always here
waiting,
with those winds
with those friends
veiled in love
not lost in betrayal

The path lies right in front of me
clear of obstacles and paved quite nicely
Yet
I hesitate to walk on it, until I absolutely have to
Why?
I avoid the path that if traveled
Leads me, gets me closer to my goals
But still
I stray away from it
Preffering to stay where I am
Where mostly
I just find
exactly what was here yesterday

The first time you hear
"Beauty is pain"
Is when your mother is brushing tangles
Out of your hair
You're too young to care

The next time
Is when you're getting your hair done
For an event
Bobby pins everywhere
And this time it sticks

Your legs sting
After you shave them
For the first time
But you remind yourself
Beauty is pain
And go on with your day

You remind yourself again
As you pluck hairs
From your eyebrows
It helps you somehow

Beauty is pain
Your stomach growls
You haven't eaten
Because you want to be skinny
You want to be pretty

Beauty is pain
Is all you hear
When you walk into surgery
To change your face

Beauty is pain
Lingers in the back of your mind
When your boyfriend hits you
For the first time

One day you look in the mirror
All you see is pain
You wonder how it ended up this way

I heard you.
That night when no one was around.
The whisper that reached my ear
when I was too drunk to comprehend.

I heard you.
That night on the railroad tracks.
The train blew its horn as you let the
words leave your lips.

I heard you.
The night in the front row at the race.
The cars drove by as the phrase managed
to roll off your tongue.

I hear you.
In this hospital bed after the truck had done it's damage.
And you repeat those words in your last breaths.
The last letter muffled by the beep that went on forever.