Looking at this world
the old gods will say
let it expire,
it's far past decay

When flesh rots its form
there is nothing more to find
leaving only the stench to remain
and the bones that remind.

Rise up
Rise like the tides
Rise like the winds
Rise unmoving
Like mountains
If we die
Least we die with
Valour kissing our hand

They'll tell you how beautiful are your wings,

While they bind your pinions and strip your feathers.

"So graceful and so precious!  Such lofty, ethereal things,"

The words like rusty chains, cracked leather-sentiment tethers.

They'll tell you, "Rise above the sorrow, fly from the pain,"

After they teach you to clip your own wings so you won't fall,

And when the confusion sets in they'll be the first to tell you you're sane.

"People can't fly," they'll say, and point to the wings nailed to their wall.

a little simile here,
a splash of metaphor there,
all carefully folded and mixed
to form a delicious souffle.

it goes into the oven
at the perfect temperature.
the souffle begins to rise,
the sweet aroma engulfs the room.

but the timer chimes early.
they take the souffle out,
and it sinks within itself,
forming a deep, large canyon.

but this souffle is different.
they put it back in the oven.
it bakes longer and longer
until it finally rises again.

Blue illuminate
Black conceal
Minutes tick by
Where is fate?

All seems so unreal
In the seconds that fly
Strange, dim light
Unsure of the battles to fight
The foes to be hidden and sly
Or confident and outright

Slip away into sleep
Or rise to face the early dawn?
Fall back into the sweet,
Ever forgiving escape
Or stand and take on what lies ahead
The outstretched hand that can make
Any number of possibilities
From merely that to, instead, realities

To glimpse upon that which may lie ahead,
Or to fall into the tangles of the mind?
To venture forth into that which may become known,
Or to remain entranced in the confines of familiarity?
The answer, the choice to be made
Lies in every dawn.

- Jay M
February 23rd, 2021

Tired and exhausted
I wish the world would freeze

But my clock ticks
and my face feels the breeze

I can barely walk
While everyone around me is running

I just want peace
Why does the planet keep turning

Night used to mean solace
But as the world turned so did the seasons

Solace changed to nightmare
And visits from demons

Things did get very bad
But I never stopped smiling

No-matter how big the demons got
And how much their whispers are enticing

There is hope in the darkest of nights
I am not phased by demon cries

I have heard them a million times
And I know the sun will again rise

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