Abandoning Medusa,
Four hundred boarded boat and raft
As angry storms abused her,
The sandbank held her firm and fast
And each fresh wave might be her last,
So each man went unto his craft
And headed out to sea

I watched her mass still gleaming
In moon's spotlight upon the rocks
And fading as to dreaming,
As oarsmen pulled with cursèd tongues
To take the strain and drag our throngs
That clung to life on floating stocks
Imprisoned by the sea

oh what a sight, to see our raft as laden down as she,
with little boats and fastened ropes to tow her o'er the sea

Men watched for signs of treason,
In fear of those who may decline
To see the light of reason,
And climbing off our haven perch
To strike toward the bobbing lurch
Of boats connected to the line
That towed us o'er the sea

A silver streak went flashing
As blade reflected of the moon
To hew the mooring's lashing;
No longer bound by fetid weight
The oarsmen pulled and with a great
Relief they moved away, and soon
Our raft was lost at sea

with cold dismay, we watched horizon swallow boats with glee,
when all were gone, we stood as one, abandoned to the sea

Clinging to the single mast
And each to each were firmly gripped
As sinking neath the living mass
The makeshift raft that floated free
Was covered by the foaming sea
And each man feared lest if he slipped
He's lost unto the sea

Water covered o'er our waists
And each with barely room to stand,
One hundred fifty doomed to fates
That ne'er a one could yet foresee
As each looked onwards helplessly
To glimpse the hope of promised land
Beyond the raging sea

has any scene more wretchèd been observed I ask of thee?
behold our sight and awful plight, held captive by the sea

For food one barrel only
Of biscuits that was tossed and thrown
Into the frigid roiling sea
And when we pulled it from the waves
Wet biscuits soaked to salted paste
Were swift devoured, and left with none
Our hunger cursed the sea

Our thirst became a torment
With only casks of wine to drink
And all the time to lament
The petty fight that caused the loss
Of all the water sadly tossed
Towards the edge and o'er the brink
Into the vasty sea

our sunburnt skins were blistered, we were hopeless as could be,
we prayed for night until the fright of darkness on the sea

Men turned upon their brothers,
Each fighting for an inch of space
And men screamed for their mothers,
As clubs were swung and axes heaved,
As bones were smashed and heads were cleaved,
And so began our human race
Surviving on the sea

The stench of early morning
Brought retching from the strongest tar
As light from a new dawning
Unveiled the carnage of the scene,
Men dead and dying, limbs hacked clean,
No time would heal the mental scar
Of those still trapped at sea

if you would listen further, I implore your eyes to see
the vision of our hopelessness upon the endless sea

One day passed to another
And every day more men were lost
To hunger or their brother,
And as our numbers swift declined
Starvation ruled most ev'ry mind,
And saw the thing we craved the most
Right there upon the sea

At first it started slowly,
One haggard man with wildling eyes
Took up a blade and boldly,
He carved a piece of rotting flesh
And to a man we held our breath
And watched as he devoured his prize
Upon the ghastly sea

With little hesitation
Some other men took up the lead
And with some trepidation,
I eyed the corpse and followed suit,
Slicing his leg above the boot,
And wolfed it down such was my need
Upon that evil sea

I ask not for forgiveness friend, I offer thee no plea,
You cannot know, you were not there upon that dreadful sea

Yet still my tale has sorrow,
That I have not the heart to tell
So courage I must borrow,
For all should know the tragic deeds
That show the truth, how man succeeds
When placed within the living hell
Of endless days at sea

One quarter turned to madness,
Where midnight waits with bloodied hands
To strike the screaming masses
And feast upon the sick and lame
With flesh prized higher than a name,
We turned with eyes like burning brands
And stared unto the sea

the weak were dead who still drew breath, they knew as well as we,
their lives were owed to pay our debt in homage to the sea

Some thirteen days we lived there
Before we caught the sight of sails
And rescued from our nightmare,
We crept away to wander home
But never can we be alone
Forever watched by wretchèd souls
We left upon the sea

So here my tale is ended,
One hundred fifty went aboard
And fifteen men descended,
Our raft was left to float away
And maybe still it floats today
With hungry souls forever moored
Upon the raging sea

Pull down the kiss-me mistletoe, box up the decorations,
Raise not a glass of merry cheer to toast the congregation;
Look through the pane to fairy lights that flicker blue and red
To cast their light upon the white snow-laden garden bed

voices creep from wall to wall
down spiral stairs, down darkened hall,
down basement steps they coo and call
for innocence now shed

Pick up the bricks and colored pens, wash up pineapple plate,
Dust off the tapped untested phone as looming thoughts collate;
Gaze not toward the basement door, dispel it from your head,
Rest weary limbs to soothing hymns to right the world instead

shadows lengthen, shadows fall
to mirror blackened velvet pall
that drapes around you like a shawl
and covers you in dread

Put down the morning newspapers, switch off the TV set,
Unwanted stark reminders of a day you can't forget;
Avoid all conversations of a thing best left unsaid,
Withdraw inside where you can hide as evil rumors spread

*whispers linger, whispers maul
at senses locked in sharp recall
to try to make sense of it all
when innocence is dead

A bard ran fleet of foot across the bridges
That span the mighty trees of Greater Fay,
To keep a tryst to meet his fairy mistress
And strum his lyre, delivering his lay:

"Oh maiden of the forest, thou are sweetest
Of all the maids of thine, the fairest race;
Thy eyes are wisps of greater lightstone riches,
Thou sets my heart to beat at Selo's pace.

If I should roam from Everfrost to Freeport,
From Qeynos Hills through all Karana fields,
No one shall ever keep thee from mine own thoughts,
For love of thee my heart forever wields."

She looked upon her minstrel with a sadness
And told him that their love could never be,
She closed her eyes and left him in the darkness
To mourn for e'er the love he could not see.

He searched afar to find her wisp eyes gleaming,
He slaughtered all who dared impede his stride;
He marched to Crushbone where the Orcs were screaming,
But none could stand before his Elvish pride.

Until one day he chanced upon a river
And saw his maiden swimming in the flow,
His song was lost within the water's murmer
And diving in, his head was ****** below.

He floundered as the currents gripped him firmly,
And rocks appeared to smash his flailing limbs;
He felt a darkness take him with a warmly
Caress, and heard a choir of Faydark hymns.

He woke upon the bank beside the water
And met her eyes of gleaming wisp-filled light,
And thus the tale of bard and forest daughter
Is told to children each and every night.

Parallel lines, with sleepers and rails,
Endlessly run through valleys and dales;
Parallel trains with the sun on their spines,
Shuddering over the tracks.

Time steaming on with a billowing trail,
Seamlessly running through hillside and vale,
Wheels ever turning, and rolling anon
Clattering over the tracks.

Man chases after with hearty and hale
Steam popping pistons that try to assail
A gap that's amassing; his legs rally faster,
Stammering over the tracks.

Old oil lamps flicker, and man fades to pale
With a lullaby motion, weary and frail,
As time never pauses and goes ever quicker,
Hammering over the tracks.

Time breathes a sigh over sleepers and rails,
Endlessly running through valleys and dales,
Man fades, man falters, as time rushes by
Vanishing over the tracks.

This child of mine is falling
And the future looks quite grim,
Down steep-sided ramps, where hooks and clamps
Will try to fit it in

This heart of mine is calling
And is pleading for a chance,
When the sorting stops, and the baby drops,
Let it be in safe hands

The boxes wait, all made of glass,
With see-through lids and golden clasps
And they each rest on a table,
With a neatly written label

This child of mine is rolling
Through the whirring clicks and clanks,
And it passes by with a muffled cry,
Towards the waiting banks

This heart of mine consoling
For the future yet foretold,
When the baby drops and the glass lid locks
Beneath the clasps of gold

The boxes wait, all made of glass,
With see-through lids and golden clasps
And they each rest on a table,
With a neatly written label

Fan the fire that burns within,
let the heat sear your skin
until you crisp,

be a guiding hand, or
a torch for the ******
when all is lost,

when fear takes you,
when existence breaks you,
when nothing remains
of what you were,

be undone.

Bedeck the band and play a merry tune
The debutante desires her maiden dance
A farewell serenade beneath the moon

She's drifting like a Sunday afternoon
Each lazy sway a restful rhythmic trance
Bedeck the band and play a merry tune

Encircling suitors pack around and soon
She gleans the grating of each nervous glance:
"A farewell serenade beneath the moon?"

She casts them all aside her heart immune
To each until one voice, one piercing lance:
"Bedeck the band and play a merry tune!"

She falters and her bold facade is hewn
And nodding shyly greets his cold advance:
"A farewell serenade beneath the moon!"

Embracing him her heart begins to swoon
A maiden sunken at her first romance;
Bedeck the band and play a merry tune
A farewell serenade beneath the moon

Beside the boarded windows,
A faded painted sign:

STOP!
No sinners welcome here!
*Come in if you're divine

The bird has flown far far from home
where none will ever find her;
she left behest a vacant nest,
and crumbs as a reminder
of all the things her mighty wings
have borne of her creation,
and now she's gone to fly anon
and left a ruination

Far far from home the bird has flown
and time is ever fleeting,
a vacant nest she left behest
in silence of her beating
her mighty wings; of all the things,
she knows the sheer elation
to fly anon, and now she's gone
to seek her own salvation

Sailor come hither and harken our song
and be calm and becalmed on our uncharted sea,
and unhindered by storms that would sully thy sails
and the thunderous waves that would pummel thy decks;
oh sailor come hither and harken our song
and our voices will sing joy to thee

Rejoice and remain in the waters we share
with the planks and the plankton, the rainbow of fishes,
the garments of sailors and whalers with whale tattoos
over their chests and their necks;
oh sailor remain in the waters we share
and our voices will bring joy to thee

Swim deep to the depths of our uncharted ocean
And see the fine wrecks of the ships of thy fathers,
the littered bones strewn from the deck hands in hand-me-downs,
anchor chains rusting and bells of submariners;
oh sailor swim deep to the depths of our ocean
and our voices will give joy to thee

Draw breath from the water to taste the fine fragrance
of wines and of gold and the many fine horses
that sailed from old cities to trade with the new towns
and ventured to hear of our song of their happiness;
oh sailor draw breath from the waters fine fragrance
and our voices will sing oft of thee

At seven bells came seven knells,
Something was wrong

Seven short blasts and one long,
A mermaid song

Their shrill voices sang, you belong
You belong to the sea

Come swim with us, let us bring
Let us bring you below

At seven bells came seven knells
And the ship was aglow

~

At seven bells came seven hells,
Each worse than the last

Flames spread fast like fear and dread,
At each short blast

Slippery shoes began to slide,
As the deck listed port-side

Lifeboats tumbled over the brink
And were lost into the drink

At seven bells came seven hells
And the ship began to sink

~

At eight bells, the mournful knells
Had ceased to be

The ship was gone beneath the waves,
Taken by the sea

How calm the night, how still the wind,
How silent was the sea

Beneath the waves, a watery grave
And sunken ship debris

At eight bells, the mournful knells,
They tolled for me

The Tasman sea is a treacherous maid,
She sweeps with a heaving sigh!
Old sea dogs shake as their keels are swayed
By her cleansing salted spray!
All the captains sent her way,
Be advised to grow wings and fly!
Take heed, take heed, of this treacherous maid
And teach yourself to fly!

By day she swells as she washes the decks
Of the merchants passing by!
She will catch the sailors, scrub their necks,
Clean sails on their washing line,
Till the whole ship starts to shine,
As they voyage beneath blue sky!
Stand clear, stand clear, as she washes the decks
Unless you want to shine!

By night she pounds upon the mighty hull,
Till barnacles are knocked clear!
Her undercurrents will push and pull
And polish the outer skin!
With the whole ship looking trim,
She waves them off with a lonely tear!
Away, away, sails the sea-swept mighty hull,
As she waves them with a tear!