I wanted to be born as a star
but someone had a different idea.

That's how I ended up as a street lamp. I die too soon and flicker too much. But yesterday I saw a moth trying to kiss me. It almost burned her.
I have heard stars do not get this luxury.

P- pages torn from books coated in prophesies  
R- razor blades slice through memories
O- open wounds drip crimson blood upon chalk stars
P- pen drawn runes coat your skin drawn in black ink
H- haloed in holy fire angels descended with knife blade wings
E- eyes gunmetal grey rimmed with puffy red highlights
T- they call you proclaimer, gods words carved into your bones.

Everything's wrong
But I know it's not
The future is happening
How can I make it stop?
I'm scared to death
I'm scared to live
I hate myself
I take a breath
Look in the mirror
I bite my tongue
I feel the fear
Plunge so deep
Even before it comes
Anxiety keeps me
From climbing the steep

A reign of corruption,
Orders of destruction,
Displacement, replacement,
Until it suits your taste,

Wreckage of spirit,
Hollowed out to mirror it,
Enjoy your lavish luxuries,
Made of sweat, labor and fears,
Trying to justify their tears,

So let's ignore the blood pooling under your feet,
After all, it isn't you that's being beat,

Fun playing puppet master isn't it?
Typical tyrannical monarchy, innit?

we went to the cryptozoology museum
which was filled with oddities and people staring
at the oddities
and demonizing the oddities
and reading about other people demonizing
the oddities
poor secretive creatures
just trying to live their best hidden lives
it made me sad but

if I'm honest
                   I have
         an oddity
                           of my own
               and
  I stare
        and
                 demonize
   too

Give me a break,
This shouldn't have to be such a hot take,
Stop making me feel worthless and fake,
You're grinding my head into a medium rare steak,
****** and broken to throw into the lake,
Where rumors can drink from to cure their slake,
And I'll end up at night lyin' awake,
Wondering when comes dawn's jailbreak,
Stayin' up 'til my head starts to ache,
Stayin' up 'til my heart starts to break,
...Why can't you see what's at stake?

x i. solace