I look inside
Darkness; emptiness;
That's unusual
I think to myself, though I do not know how

The emptiness within is strange
It's usually a vibrant world
Thriving and alive
But today it is dead

I once was in tune with this place
It spoke to me and I spoke back
I willed it to my liking
It gave a bounty of inspiration

My muse is now gone
Like somebody turned out the light
At least I'm not alone in here
Not completely mindless, but getting there

I've always wanted to travel through space
Visiting planets and moons along the way
I imagine on saturn it would be quite a sight
To look up and see the rings at night

Brilliant colors streaming across the sky
Beauty so intense it might make me cry
I'd want to share this experience
But I'd need to not be alone for once

Days have gone;
Lost to time forever—
An eternal dance of pain;
Suffering and joy;
Elation—

Days past—returned for
But a fleeting moment at most;
Visions of times long gone
Pain and fear;
Disaster—

But those days have gone;
Lost to another—
The pain within us eternally;
But not in me—
Serenity—

Another soul—
One of many who came before;
And many more to come;
Holding us closely;
Mothering—

To protect and serve
In a way not thought of—
To save and support;
Same place; different timelines—
Survival

Words of passion; words of lust
Words whose meanings shine true
Even when silenced; shushed

They come easily to some—though
Others think they're hidden from view
Words that speak of events soon to come

Words with rhythm; Some that are aloof
Words I cannot keep inside—a slew
Of my love or pain; proof—

They flow like blood from open wound;
Like blessings of a preacher to the pew;
And like pure, unadulterated sound

The storm raged—
A bitter wind blew; an icy chill in the air
Adrift in a sea of sorrows and misfortune;
Without direction; hope lost

Waves crash upon the deck—
We'd have sunk were it up to the sea;
A captain goes down with her ship;
But such an end was not in the cards

Lightning flashes; thunder claps—
Enough to frighten even the bravest;
Though still the captain fights;
Unfazed by calamity; her nerves steeled

Life on the line—
Alone in this calamity;
The elements waging war
Yet still standing strong

A fleeting image—
Another ship; adrift as she;
Lightning strikes; sails ablaze
But torrential rains soon extinguish the flames

Steering closer; an ephemeral voice—
Chilling to say the least;
The hair on her neck standing on end;
"Help—"

Closer still; danger be ******—
Echoes of the past;
A time long gone; forgotten;
"Save me—"

Onto the ship; a woman terrified—
Begging for help; deafened by thunder
Her hand extended as she weeps and sobs
"Take my hand—"

And so the captain does—
Lightning strikes again; familiarity disappears
From blinding light to dark of night;
Lured into the inky depths—

"Drown with me—"

"In time," I would tell myself—
These were times of fear;
Self-introspection; grand unknowns

"For in these times it is not pain
Nor fright or apprehension
Nor desire—"

I would not have known
Nor do I now—
What I may desire or desire herself;

She is a symbol of beauty;
Elegance, grace, harmony
Peace and love—

I know—who wouldn't want that?
I wasn't always how I am—nay
Perceive myself to be

My story is one of heartbreak;
It is pain and suffering;
Depression and loss

Though details show not
Any apparent distress;
Nor loss; nor pain—

But nonetheless scarred I am;
Stabbed more times
Than one could imagine

Yet still I persevere;
I survive, and I thrive;
And I live another day

Lightning lights the skies
Electricity in my eyes
But thunder roars no louder
Than a beating heart

She lights more than the sky
Brighter than the sun;
Illuminating the darkest nights