If one
is to see
with smoke,

the farthest
they can go is
at the surface

If one
is to see
with mirrors,

the labyrinth
of the inside
can never be harnessed

A child's smile
A cup of tea
A walk in the woods
A fleeting sense of serenity
An eruption of joy
Happiness
A magic moment
in the labyrinth
of our existence

❝ a man curses his self-created hell;
   a trap he weaved for himself
   that later on evolved
   into a labyrinth of intricate design

   his choices,
   the basis of his sorrow
   a product of ignorance
   that drowns him
   in the ocean of confusion

   he becomes lost
   in the prison of darkness
   floating in the sea
   of perpetual gloom

   searching for the light
   with eyes open
   but senses shut
   stumbling about for eons
   and eons

   blaming fate,
   God,
   circumstances,
   but never himself ❞

Time is a killer
And I'm walkin on the edge
Of its ****** knife

Singin' a little thriller
While going around the hedge
A maze of fear and strife
Throw in a bit of nightmares
And a drop of painful curiosity

Stumbling around
Nothing to be found
But the same **** green
Like a broken machine

Troubleshooting, here we go
Moving about, to and fro
One turn, then the next
Wrong way? No way
All as it should be
Don't try and stay
Go on and leave me

Not the first,
But certainly not the last
To attempt to solve this puzzle
Never able to escape the past

It'll chew you up
Then spit you out
Pour me a cup
Hush now, don't shout
Before they figure it out

The farther in
The worse it gets
It only gets worse
Before it gets better

Release the demon within
A battle, let's see who shall win
Soul or dark parasite
Just don't let it into the light
Oh dear, what a fright
A horrible sight
Is what's left

Nothing is alright
Not all is as it seems

Retrace your steps
Don't leave a path to follow
Or it shall surely leave you hollow

With a single touch
All becomes too much
Cold, yet hot as a flame
What victory was sought to claim?

Glass shatters
As to hearts
Into deadly parts

Grass dies
As do Hope's
Fading like color

But one thing does not break
One thing to never wear thin;
The chains around a melancholy heart

Sheltered by a maze of thorns
The ground laiden with broken glass
Trapped with fragmented dreams
Tainted with the blood of many
Even by the keeper of the heart herself;
Me.

- Jay M
August 11th, 2020

Today,
as I stared out the window
of a car taking a sharp turn.
Today,
as I was slammed back to the seat
of a car coming to a sudden stop.
Today,
as I mildly heard the driver say
his grateful prayer and then curse.
Today,
as I saw sudden glimpses of moon
shyly following me behind the trees.
Today,
as I stared a little too long at streetlights
and theirs colors melting on sweaty glass.
Today,
as I watched a car rush on the road,
slip on the water, then spin and scream.
Today,
as I heard lucky drivers curse at each other
for ****** dents on their worthless cars.
Today,
as I was drifted away with the vehicle
making its way out of the traffic jam.
Today,
as I looked at my insipid reflected
on the black trees lit by the crescent;
                                                       ­                    my eyes, cold and placid,
                                                        m­y skin, blue like the midnight sky,
                                                                ­         and my movements, slow,
                                                           ­                                     as if hopeless
                                                        ­                                           and extinct.
I thought I saw death
looking straight in my eyes.
I thought I saw death
give me a beautifully weak smile.
I thought I heard her say
that she had come for my being.
I thought I saw a moon
shimmer right through her face.

I thought I saw death
but really,
it was just me.
drowsily reflected by the cold glass.

The woe was overpowering,
the mournful silence blaring.
Going round in circles in the labyrinth of sufferin'.
Thinking about a way out was no sin.
Unswerving and swift was the way out.
My existence was a doubt.
Starved for the last breath,
so I planned myself a death.