The Black Rose

She grips a black rose

a little too tight

the thorns bite

piercing skin

She welcomes the pain

and her blood flows

a scarlet river

down the stem

Closer Than Needed

Why do your words sound

strange?

Why do you stand there so

close?

What do you want from

me?

Why do you make me feel

afraid?

Why did you follow me

home?

Please, can you leave me

alone?

Wait, what are you doing

now?

Why are you …

You’re hurting me.

Let go!

Stop! No!

What did I do to deserve

this?

Why did you have to…

Barren Wilderness

Through the undressed trees, the wind howls
a wild shriek of fury spent, but never quashed
A thin voice wavers, yet still it’s heard…
There’s nothing to be done, for I am lost

A wild shriek of fury spent, but never quashed
despite the vanquished, despite the insurgence
of boldness, the resolve towards supremacy

A thin voice wavers, yet still it’s heard
Above the roar that stains the dark lit sky
A noise in vain, the resonance of defiance

There’s nothing to be done, for I am lost
my will long spent amid the damage
my withered bones to lay forgotten

They Come

They come in Silence
on the westbound zephyr
hovering black on black
waiting deep within the night

They come in Silence
but it shall not last forever
Do well to guard your back
lest your screams greet the light

The Keeper of the Walls

The Storm is moving closer

The peace, the security;

Anger strikes out knowing no reason.

The weakness to be strong

the elusive quality of tears;

a sorrow lifted.

The knowledge of the alluding strength

– my salvation –

The holy water of your tears

turns me to bitter wine.

– Goodbye –

The walls cannot crumble

The heart does not break apart, evenly

The intensity of feeling, the passionate emotion;

Nearness, togetherness…

Distance, innocence…

– Au Revoir –

To know my soul, my heart

open the windows, my windows…

Look behind the curtain

to my soul, through my eyes

– Welcome –

The Keeper of the Walls

Letting Go…

Pain

Receding and returning

Burning, constantly churning

Alone

alone

The feelings

indescribable

ever elusive

Emotionally abhorrent

mentally abusive

An act, a mask

a tear behind a smile

The wall shutting out

the pain

the fear

Unapproachable

My heart at odds

no hearts breaking even

Twisting and turning

my strength keeps me burning

yearning…

The once insuring strength

always an alluding weakness;

The Keeper of the Walls

the key, the entry, was…

But one has touched the brick,

the wall; a barricaded entry

An allusion of uncertainty

veiled by the cool

collected calm

– Two –

Emotions at Tide

Undisturbed turbulence veiled by a calm tranquility,

Unleashed by the Earth’s might

Let its Spirit enfold;

Strange yet magnificent in its complexity

Known to change the essence of the mould.

The placidity, complex in the very simplicity

Known to affect the heart of the matter;

The slow ebb and flow of this inner city

One heightened wave meant to shatter.

The crest at the height

One with both the sun of the day

And the ghostly night shadowed in opaque moonlight;

Ebb and flow, ebb and flow nearing the bay.

Tumult of the heart, contradiction in the mind

Causing torment and pain with an ever-present falter;

Reason and logical thought bound as if by a halter:

Innocence borne out of knowledge

Ceased is the ability to solve,

A problem without the logic of college

All that is needed is involved;

One solution is true:

The answer of Love is the glue

meant to shatter,

in truth to matter…

Leading the Blind

No sight is ever left behind,
Except when money can be made,
Then the ignorance is palpable,
Preying on all the dupable,
It is their only stock and trade,
By them all evil is defined…

They love only their own kind,
Only for a price is fury stayed,
Though they are quite capable,
Yours is a loss acceptable,
Your wages are already paid,
Just another of the lowly blind…

No straight path you’ll ever find,
Save the trenches where the young are laid,
You become one of countless parables,
By your blood, our land is arable,
By your loyalty you are betrayed,
Trust them, you won’t even mind…

Ages past, the contract was signed,
Paper, ink, and seal decayed,
Untarnished though, are all the fables,
You dream of feasts at heavenly tables,
Until every hair has greyed,
Then at last, your coffin is lined…

On the Verge of Years

It has been too long, I fear,
Since this stony cheek has felt a tear,
Too long since I made the choice,
To wrong her and lose her voice…

Somewhere in the shadow of these fears,
Something bitter coaxes sweet tears,
Reviewed, the aftermath of so many choices,
Imbued by all of their loving voices…

My heart is a rock and a hard place,
My love is between it, hiding her face,
Lest I say again what should have been,
Ignoring once more the quandary within…

Of all the times, of all the places,
Through all the pages, and all the faces,
Worn like the statue I shall ever be,
Can’t keep the cracks from letting the rain in…

Urging on tears, encroached by jeers,
Conscience sears, no cries it hears,
Of my sins dears, acceptance nears,
On the verge of years…

Brutal

Seasons change, mountains turn to sand,
Rivers run dry, sea withers to land,
But my brutality shall last forever,
Never shall I loosen this hand,
Ever will it bear the brand…

First to shed blood,
To cry remorseful tears,
Left my brother in the mud,
Forgot his name after many years.

All for a sacrifice born of vanity,
Rejection drove me to insanity,
My only recourse was to sever,
Turned sacred ritual into profanity,
Sold for a song my humanity…

Tears become a flood,
As conscience sears,
At that sickening thud,
Confirming darkest fears.