Sweet dagger, pierce that midnight beauty,
that walks like cloudless climes and starry skies.
Go now, men, and do your duty.
Steal the schemes of other rhymes.

I am the captain of my ship; I am the master of metre and time.
I've mastered the art of thieving wit.
I've stolen the fame of men long dead
and staked my claim to the fruits of their minds.
I can write words yet unsaid;
But I've not the mind;
I've not the inclination;
I've not the creativity
to write my own lines.

If this rings too close to home,
perhaps you ought to write your own.
More likely though,
you'll just steal mine.

Time is full of ethereal riches
And I, the thief
Eternally whisper my stolen minutes
So time passes me by

Match the sleep up to the fire,
Words alight in bareface glow.
Take your knees and hold them tight,
Tonight's the night that Dragons fight.

By the river lives are woven;
Fabric soft and hugs the skin.
As the shadows dance about,
Throw their arms and scream and shout.

Froth at the shore - take care!
Who'll hold you back from the tale?
Don't lose any grief.
Each story's a thief.

Baby, I'm a thief.
I will steal your sleep
With a word,
Enticing you to shed your blankets
And walk the night with me
Like a demonic Sandman
And we'll do un-Hypnotic things
And un-Morpheus things.
Nyx would be proud.
So scurry away little boy
I will make you so sleep deprived,
You won't even remember your name
And I'll send you off in the morning
With dark circles,
Drooping eyelids,
And to accidents lying in wait for you
Beware of me, love.
I will ruin your life
As I steal your sleep.

Please
Forgive me, and goodnight.

It was known just as "The Tree"
It was on the fence line of Jade Ranch
And on the wizened, hardened oak
Was a limb, known as "The Branch"

On the branch hung seven ropes
Of seven different lengths
Depending on the sentence
They chose one of seven strengths

Now a posse and a lynch mob
Are two completely different groups
You may always end up hanging
But through two different loops

Get caught with someone else's horse
By someone from on the ranch
Then you'll face Western Justice
And end up hanging from "The Branch"

Western justice it was called
And lynch mobs had a thirst
To see you hanging from "The Tree"
If you didn't meet the Marshall first

Get caught with an extra ace
You'll be called out as a cheat
You will never make "The Tree"
You'll get gunned down in your seat

But, have a horse, that's not your brand
And a lynch mob's soon around
Western Justice will prevail
With you ten feet from the ground

You'll sit upon the horse you stole
No one hears your weak defence
One slap and the verdicts in
You'll hang on the ranch side of the fence

Shoot a man in town and you
Will end up in the local jail
But, shoot him where the Law is not
And Western Justice will prevail

Seven ropes of different lengths
Take a man on to his death
Once the horse is slapped to go
No one will hear your last breath

There's a lynch mob and a posse
You don't know just how close they are
One does what they think is right
One feels the same, but has a star

"The Tree" is there in waiting
For the next rope to be strung
If you aren't caught by the Marshall
From "The Branch" you will be hung

Here a labored writer sits
On a porch without a light
Sipping on empty wine glasses
And thieving from the night

I’ll take the star from the dark
I’ll steal that ghostly chill
I’ll even think the thoughts you’ve thunk,
(Especially the ones you ****)

I’ll creep inside the books you wrote,
(The quiet thoughts you’ve found)
I’ll lift the words right off your lips,
Steal the secrets of the sound

I’ll read the lines you wrote
(In a low yet steady mumble)
Then I’ll spew your thunder,
With no credit to your rumble

And from the shadows edges
With their crisp yet subtle blur
I’ll trace my fingers round until
I see their insides stir

So when your train goes off
And disintegrates in your head
Know it was not a fleeting thought,
Just a gaunt thief getting fed.

i used to
look at you
like you could
walk on water
or like you
created the stars

but you were really
only a thief
who stole
everything
i had
and smashed it
right before my
eyes

I hold my breath in darkness

Crack
Tick.  Tick.  Tick.

And let it go.
He must have come a long way

Tick. Tick. Tick.
Click.

He must have sensed
The only warmth laid out for him

Creeeak
Tick... Tick...

Acrid loss hangs low in the air
Damp claws ***** my toes

Inhale

And he drinks
Come to redeem blood lost

Silence
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Creeeak
Click.

My foot runs over the aging scabs

Exhale

I sink back into slumber