Oh great Enkidu, as you lay upon the arid earth
To never arise of lifeless state, may the peoples of grand Uruk
Forget not your complexion heroic, nor nature intrepid
When faced with perilous forthcoming.

So recall I your conjuring at the behest of my subjects;
At the mercy of Anu and Aruru, the great gods of creation.
But a feral beast were you then upon your conception,
One who roamed, and hunted, and dwelled amongst savage brethren.

Stranger to the vices that so consume humankind.
Nature ****** was your dwelling till appeared the beauteous Shamhat.
By her features so enraptured, her nigh perfection, that unto her you conceded,
And in time renounced your erstwhile beastly ways.

And became a mighty man, who abandoned me not when I took to slay Humbaba—
Ogrish beast entrusted by Enlil to safeguard the cedar forest—
Enkidu, ***** fierce yet wise, how you solaced me as I woke many days
And shared the dolorous dreams I had received.

Fearful had I grown of Humbaba, of the wrath of Enlil,
Though your patience and guidance inspired in me the strength
To renounce not my true ambitions.
O divers gods of Sumer

Wherefore the Death of my beloved companion?
Perchance, ‘tis the ire engendered by the felling of Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven?
Tho, for many days I weeped and wandered the varied land,
Hither, do I now stand with a message to impart.

Aye, the path that lay ‘fore us will oft be creviced and cragged,
Our foes await ahead, arms in hand, in hopes that we regress,
Yet we, the valiant, will fall not to their attacks
Nor let difficult terrain impede our advance.

Yea, Enkidu, departed gallant,
Bestow your wisdom and courage upon all!
For with these our city will forever stand tall.

Oh fields teeming with verdant hue,
Skies of azure complexion,
Why can I not enjoy your presence?
Despite the beauty before me
Am I obliged to meditate
On carnal pleasures—
Such banal musings!

O thee, dew vernal!
Nascent is thy form at dawn,
My aqueous muse.

Where th' water 's not opposed, th' water flows.
Where understanding 's opaque, frustration grows.
Where ignorance resides, hatred shares its abode.
Where dishonesty respites, malice lies too.

Where th' voice remains unheard, what good are their words?
Where th' voice remains unchallenged, what 's e'er learned?
Where force triumphs o'er fact, 'tis truth that falls first.
Where truth no longer thrives, falsity 's th' victor.

Where fear supplants courage, nigh are th' darkest days.
Where justice wilts and withers, 'tis th' innocent that pay.
Where vengeance wins th' mind and heart, with haste peace decays.
Where peace 's fated to perish, th' stench of war pervades.

Thus, reader, let 't be you who heeds this writ;
Who remedies the world's defects;
Who restores Good where Good 's spent;
Who bears th' light to illume th' darkness;

Who brings change where change 's due.

it's the small victories
that can mean
the most

I thought I would pen a hymn for you,
But now I don't know if I want to.
You used to say that you love me too.
Now we just scream until we’re –
Blue in the face, I hear you
Cursin’ my name under your breath.
And every time that we drink
We say something that we regret.
And I don't know, I don't know
How to get past this.

I can't count all of the lies,
All the times you said goodbye.
To only come back with teary eyes
Say you got no one else in your life.
And I always let you back inside
To mend our woes for a short time.
Then come the fights, the words, the cries
The sayin' "this won't happen twice".
This is what we know, it’s all we know
Will we get past this?

Oh when the morn comes will you be gone?
Tell me now and this’ll all be done.
Then after you, no I won't run
You can fall into another’s –
Arms, yeah find the one who treats you right
Who stays up with you, talks all night.
Who tells you they'll never leave your side
Who feels your joy, your pain, your strife.
Who really knows you, who really knows
And you'll get past this.

I hope you know I don't hate you
I never have, I never will.
Been with you come the rain or wind.
It's something that I do –
Miss, I know you're leavin’ soon
Before the eventide comes ‘round.
Here's farewell to creviced love
I might not see you when dawns the morrow.
But I don't know, yeah I don't know

Oh when the morn comes will you be gone?
Tell me now and this'll all be done.
Then after you, no I won't run
You can fall into another’s –
Arms, yeah find the one who treats you right
Who stays up with you, talks all night.
Who tells you they'll never leave your side
Who feels your joy, your pain, your strife.
Who really knows you, who really knows
And we'll get past this.

it's the new knives
that can open
the old wounds
the easiest