I felt myself suspended
in the air,
And I thought I could fly.
Then I looked down,
Saw my shadow lying on the floor,
Felt the rope around my neck,
And realised I wasn't flying at all.

I.


Her name was Anne
She had pretty eyes
One morning
She was not able to open them
When liquor shined in her throat
And chased after the pills

II.

I never got his name
But I heard he planted
A shell inside of his head
Pushing his thoughts and dreams aside
To make more room for itself (to grow)
Until they spilled red on his pillow case

III.

Her name was Lily
She was expected to become
Everything and perfect
But the pressure around her neck
Was tighter
Than the ones on her shoulders

IV.

Her name sounded like a constellation
You see on a summer night
She dipped herself into the ocean
And pretended
That she was a mermaid
She pretended
That she didn’t have an angry father
She pretended
That she didn’t have a crying mother
She took a gulp of the ocean
And the ocean
Rose and swallowed her

Necklace of rope around your neck,
Cold sparkled your tears,
Mingling in our kisses,
Drawing out fears.
Blood crows' broken beak,
Moonlight mourning the free.
Your glimm'ring eyes,
'Ere eve of death,
Last thing mine heart aches to see.
Strange things happen here,
Under the Hanging Tree.
"String me up!
Lest apartheid influence separation,
String me up love!
Sing me songs of silence, kiss away segregation!"
My voice unwavered,
Decaying church bell tolling twelve,
Cold, cracked fingers fumbling rope.
Moon lighting the way,
The wind whispering,"hopeless,"
Frigid lies hope.
Shuffling of feet in the woods,
Edge of moonlight creatures stood,
Watching the Hanging tree,
Where the dead told his love to flee.
                                                           ­       -**Firefly

Tread softly my dear,
Embrace the shadows,
Snicker at crumbling fear.
Follow I, for I've seen it all,
Yet it still happens now.
They have your love by the Hanging Tree,
He may be dead before the hour after midnight.
Look for the signs,
No need for the light.
His flickering life shall burn like a comet over Earth,
It will burn away,
Come!
Or you'll have to look for bones in the bay.
There they are!
Ready to string him up,
What shall you do?
Leave or you'll hang too,
Remember,
For I've seen it all.
Now is when you decide,
For I shall never believe you are to live alone,
Not live, but then you should die.
Leave or you'll hang too.
Trod the path of life,
Or you can die with your beloved,
Under the glimm'ring moon,
Here under the Hanging Tree,
What shall it be?
I know already,
For I've seen it all,
Remember.
                      -**Firefly

It's not that I don't want to live
And find out who my wife will be
Or see my children born
And raise them to be just like me

It's not that I don't love my friends
or hate the adventures and company
They numb the pain and heartache
Even though it's temporary

I know my siblings, my parents,
grandparents, hell my whole family
will cry and weep at my funeral
and the news of "A Self Hanging"

I understand I'm not bad
I know that they love me
It's not about being hated
Or thinking I'm not worthy

I just want the pain to stop

I don't know when it started
Or what sets it off
Or why I'm weak
Or why I cry myself to sleep

I just want the pain to stop

I feel alone
I know I'm not alone but
Knowledge doesn't **** emotion

But I know what will

I raise my glass
To feel numb one more time
One more time before
I never have to feel

Ever again.

I think I'm gonna hang,
down by the willow tree that stands,
so tall it touches the sky.
Think it'll keep me tied to this earth?
I don't think it will, it doesn't care.
Down by the willow tree I'm going to hang.

A traveler stops by,
asks me why,
tell him I'm hanging to forget
and to be forgiven.

They untie the knot,
pull me down and say,
life ain't fair and it's definitely not easy,
but it's not worth hanging' yourself for.

Life tends to kick you quickest when you're down
Like the little pithy scratch of jealousy
On your neck as you see the signs
When your girlfriend's stale eyes
Begin to wander
Begin to wander too specifically
For your personal
Comfort