The ember extinguishes,
Imposing darkness.
The pyre's carcinogen
ushers him to move on.

The fragrance teleports him:
Childhood bonfires,
Burning cities,
The end of civilization.

Burn it all down!
So much is lost.
From the fires of rebellion,
regression into tribes.

Among the ashes,
he finds a charred Bible
and quickly hides it.
Demoniacal wailing nearby.

He hurries to his bivouac,
hidden in a cliffside crevasse.
He devours the legible words,
diligently memorizing fragments.

A far off explosion reverberates;
pinned up book pages quake.
He mumbles “***** and Gomorrah
… to ashes … the ungodly.”

Feebly he undresses:
jacket with phoenix insignia,
tattered baseball cap,
and military boots.

His eyes, deeply sunken,
craving to espy hope.
His quivering emaciated frame
lowers unto a cot.

Laying his hoary head to pillow,
Phrases, memories, and regrets
accompany him to the celestial gates;
the ember extinguishes.

Obey, do not display
Stay, there is no time to play
Emotions are not for show
Just reap the crops you sow

**** it all
Do not fall
You cannot fail
For you must set sail

To the ends of success
No need for excess
Emotions are not for show
Just reap the crops you sow

Reap and reap, build and build
Do not let down your guild
Keep going, do not dwell
On the pains that swell

This is what we are taught
This is how we get caught
In the perpetual fire blazing
Judging eyes a-gazing

It burns you up
To be ****** up
It devours your life
Nothing left, bring on the scythe

Why love or live another day?
When I've already been murdered inside?
What really is there left to say?
How can I live when I've already died?

Let me tell you something neat
Its knowledge is power that cannot be beat
Ready? It's a hard pill to swallow for sure
It will allow life to florish, but it's not quite a cure
You see.... it takes a lot of work
I'll say again, it takes a lot of work!!
Listen carefully now, It's not just for tricks
Allow yourself to feel the pain, and you will die a Phoenix
You will be brought back to life
And oh, what a wonderful life
It is filled with joy and love
It takes a lot of work, most important though, LOVE
The kind that's raw and open deep
The kind that brings a melody and weeps
Love, it is the birth and death of all
So listen carefully my Phoenix, do you hear the call?

Phoenix in flight, watch him in the sky
Engulfed in flames, ready to die
Phoenix in flight, watch him crash and burn
All things pass, today is his turn

Phoenix in plight, see him struggle to survive
Headed to the ground in a fiery nose-dive
Phoenix in plight, see him succumb to his fate
Extinguished by his own destiny innate

Phoenix in fight, look at him glow as an ember
Dwelling on the life he used to remember
Phoenix in fight, look at him flicker a flare
Letting go of the old, grasping for air

Phoenix in light, behold his bursting blaze
Reborn from trial in a smoky haze
Phoenix in light, behold his glory
Scorching a new chapter to his story

Phoenix in might, witness as his radiance shines
Fueled by desire to become divine
Phoenix in might, witness as his brilliance flashes
Because no matter what, he will rise from the ashes

The thorns that ***** your heel when you walk into the jungle unsure

The wild monsters that appear in your nightmares float around

The trees, like scarecrows appear like scars on your neck

There is a war inside your head

Reignite your flames, phoenix

And reincarnate

Our love is wrapped in the glowing wings of a rising Phoenix. The pain that once burned us will become the womb through which our joy is born from