masked, he came towards me
weapon in hand, hands bloodthirsty.
the white of his mask showed no purity,
only a sinister mystery.

most would run, or scream even
but i could not; legs tied with fear
tongue tied into a knot,
i remained silent as the assailant
drew near.

close enough to feel his breath
warm upon my cheek
he whispered:
‘my name is Hope.
this is what i look like.’

i could feel his blade
cold, pressed against my thigh
yet he entwined his leather gloved fingers
with mine.

swaying gently, bathed in an unknown,
gentle light.
but the light grew harsher;
i notice it reflecting off my

heart.
the silver blade, burrowed into my chest.
my knees buckle and
the floor is ice.

warmth drains from me and
hope crouches down - removes his
mask.
faceless and empty,
empty with unknowing.

from nowhere, Hope’s voice echoed
everywhere.
he said:
‘my name is Hope and
hope never dies.’

My mirror is cracked
my dignity broken, shattered.
Into millions of little pieces

"Am I beautiful?"
I ask in curiosity
I ask in doubt
I ask. Desperate.

I wear a mask
it covers my desperate
it covers my doubt
it covers my. Ugly.

The water falls
my face is old,
rugged.
I paint it brand new

dusk is here
I wipe away the remnants
I am like a tree;
natural, tall, free
yet I am like a fledgling;
scared, venerable, weak
day's out and

I. Can. Breathe.

You see me and I see you.
I have never met someone like you before.
You all of a sudden say you like me, is that true?
You open up a before locked up door.

As a warm cup of coffee you warm up my soul.
It is a feeling I had forgot.
But now I am no longer in control.
I guess I like you a lot.

You make me feel like I am 10 feet tall.
I can almost touch the blue sky.
But what if I loose my foothold and fall.
Would you catch me or let me die?

I feel so carefree in the cold and thin air.
I can see all the tiny people passing by.
But when I turned around, you were no longer there.
Did you forget me or was all of this just an evil lie?

Well, I guess there is no more to talk about.
So I suppose I should just let it dwell.
And as a candlestick being burned out.
I now bit you a bittersweet farewell.

I am the lion
That leads his pack with pride and honour
Who protects his loved ones

I am the pillar
That supports every building formed upon it
It would never let them fall

I am the buoy
That does its best to save every life
It will pull you away from danger

I am the joker
Who laughs the most under the ridiculous
Who makes sure you stay happy

*I am the cub
Helpless to the wondering hyenas

I am the tiles on the floor
Supporting weights and lifting hearts

I am the anchor
Sinking to the bottom of the sea

I am the broken
Laughters lost, tears overflowing

Behind all his smiles and silly gestures
He longs to walk a thousand miles away
He desires to escape from everyday
No more small talk
Or large gatherings
The curtain has CLOSED
A contemporary task.

In the eyes of the crowd
All they see is the proud facade
Entertainment is important
And all they care about
Forgetting the person
behind the PERSONA
a temporary mask.

As his mask fades
Rabbits shift
into sparrows
No light at the end
Only cued applauds
Some flowers
And skewed imagery
An exemplary stage.

Disappearing into the night
Unmasking the illusions he conjured.
The sinking reality comes back
As
Lingering
Silence echoes his longing…
A price to pay of the famed gift
Hoping this will be his last...

~FINALE~
    

Justin G / **Pax

Can’t be right to hold me back to push me forward
Then or Now.
I was meant to find my own way,
But a perpetual show masked true intentions
I wonder who I could’ve been
If I had bothered to look through us;
I would have been a part of others.
This second feeling: I am petrified with my restlessness,
Which you had caused through fake laughs and white sugar grins
And sophisticated small talk and tags with triple dollar signs.
You seem to be always trying to prove yourself to the right ones.

And I thought I transcended with you.
But now I know and taste the herd’s beguiling call:
I can’t not pity you;
   You’re still stuck in that ****** existence: an old cypress in a world of Oak and Willow.

I also pity myself for my own party of pity.
It seems being on top breaks bonds ruthlessly.
Even now, I’ve forgotten who you really are
And how to love you.
I wonder if you know who you really are.