This Silence

Is this silence

A parting of ways,

No real goodbye, just

A fade... away?

Is this why

It feels so incomplete?

Running a strange race

With lead on our feet.

Doomed from the start

I can only surmise,

No truth in your words and

No spark in your eyes.

At high altitude

With so far to fall

No words of safety

Nothing at all.

Is this silence

A parting of ways,

No real goodbye, just

A fade... away?

Driving into walls

What would you say if I told you the truth?

That I’m lonely and tired of waiting for you

To make up your mind about which way to go

Of giving me answers, what I need to know

You seem happy to string me out on the line

Good things take patience, but I just don’t have the time

To let you draw my heart out only to crush it to dust

Am I just a distraction, the quick fix for your lust?

These hours are long enough without your touch

But to wait here in silence is asking too much

I know I’ve been patient, have done all that I can but

I feel like I’m stranded in this No Man’s Land

With no end in sight, and my feet tightly bound

I open my mouth, but no words can come out

So trapped in my silence I can’t say what I feel

I only pray the wounds aren’t too deep to heal.

Trapped Under Ice

Trapped under ice
Imprisoned inside these prisms
These glittering jewels
Kaleidoscopes capturing rays from the smiling sun

Pushing forward, breathless
Frigid fingers teasing skin, combing hair
Following the bubbles to the surface
That we cannot penetrate

Above, the world; a shield of glass in between
Tapping at the crystal roof, screaming
Thrashing, violent churning, biting teeth of ice
Too long, too deep, too much, limbs heavy

Sinking

Awaking in bed, alone
Head filled with chaotic thoughts
Outside, a car snorts into life, its headlights spearing the far
White wall
Memory tries to make the pieces make sense
But self preservation, that trick of the brain
Knows otherwise and hides
The clues
As to why, trapped under ice
Your leering smile, your face
Is the last thing I see
As my eyes close

Quest

“Walk on, holy man 

Holy man in the crumbling land 

The blind man, with his feet in the sand 

And the skull of his father clutched in his hands…” 

I’ve walked each lonely mile 

With my face cast to the ground 

I see nobody else’s faces 

My truth cannot be found 

And in the hazy distance 

In the rippling sand 

The line of vultures on a cage of ribs 

None can still the Dark God’s hand 

Walk with me into the darkness 

Let me take you to the shadows and beyond 

Take my hand in your hand 

Try to understand 

The path to enlightenment is filled with the bones 

of the men who have tried before you, 

and died before you. 

And this holy pilgrim stands alone 

Alone in the sun 

Hears the voices of his father 

The race ends before it has begun 

He chases shadows like mirages 

Burned across his line of vision 

And curses those who set upon him 

And cast him aside with fear and derision 

Inside the man was once a child 

Torn between the truth and lies 

And as the son seeks the father 

The line between them obscures and dies 

Walk with me into your blindness 

Cast your fears like orbs of sand 

Take my hand in your hand 

Try to understand 

The path to enlightenment is barred by the stones 

of the men who have tried before you, 

and died before you. 

And now he knows there is no wise man 

There is only the pain of death 

Sadness, and in that sadness, madness 

Still the Dark God beckons: 

“Walk on, holy man 

Holy man in the crumbling land 

The blind man, with his feet in the sand 

And the jaw of his brother clutched in his hands…” 

And still he’s tempted to see the face of God 

To gaze upon that stony face 

As if it’s something he had forgot 

Or forsaken on his quest 

He was born to serve the Dark God 

The twisted master of the Devil 

In the shape of a Divine Father 

Chosen as the lesser of two evils 

And this apprentice stands alone 

Alone in the sun 

Hears the voices of his father 

The race ends before it has begun 

Walk with me into the shadows 

Let me fill you with their lies 

Take my hand in your hand 

Try to understand 

The path to enlightenment is filled with the bones 

of the men who have tried before you, 

and died before you. 

And he knows there is no wisdom 

In the fledgling mix of lies 

And his crumpled face lined with age 

Turns itself in anguish to curse the skies 

“Walk on, holy man 

Holy man in the crumbling land 

The blind man, with his feet in the sand 

And the fate of the world clutched in his hands…”

Sunset

See the sky touched crimson and gold

Burning embers flicked across a canvas sky

Wait for the final throes of day

And the coming whisper of dark

Lovers hold onto brave promises

Closing eyes, offer a prayer

Of the sweetness of forever

On distant horizons afar

Sunset stretches for minutes

Touched with flecks of crimson and gold

As souls dance a final ballet

In gossamer thin laced shoes

Rest your head upon my shoulder

Your hand in my hand held

Watch the first diamond stars sparkle

The universe unfolds

This forever that you speak of

Under the sky crimson and gold

See eternity stretched forever

Twin hearts in one pulse sound

Let this sunset be our symbol

Of beginning not an end

For darkness does not forever last

We will be back to this place again

                To your heart this love I entrust

                To this love, this band I bring

                On this heaven, I bring thee music

                On these notes, of love I sing

                                Wandering comets overhead

                                Fortresses, domains

                                A castle built by loving hands

                                In golden lights we bathe

If forever I have promised, forever it will be

In this light of sunset, crimson and gold

Let us lovers be.

Rats

Sifting through another’s remains

Trapped inside the city maze

Yellow eyes, and stony gaze,

          The rats come out to play!

Silently picking off those below them

Careful to not offend those above them

Moving hence from grate to drain,

          The rats come out to play!

Creeping on their soft pampered bellies

Spend all day watching their tellies

Night and dark is their domain,

          The rats come out to play!

Shriek and scream and scratch the floor

The likes of which you’ve never seen before

Hold onto their lives without abandon,

          Our world is not the same!

                   Until we sweep this vermin beneath our rugs

                   Exterminate their fleas and bugs

                   Turn the world into one large working class

                   And make them all eat grass.

And while we wait for the world to catch up

While we wait for the signs to be right

And while we wait for the economists theory

          The rats come out to play.

Spanish Eyes

Intimate, holding her close
Feel the warmth of her skin
Pale grey morning light through the curtains
Hear her song as she breathes

Captivated, I
By this girl
This girl with the Spanish eyes...

Whirling half dreams, I doze
Unsure if I have spoken
To answer her questions
Imploring, smiles, a face sensuous
Feel her body next to mine

Captivated, I
By this girl
This girl with the Spanish eyes...

Long moments of longing
No sense of belonging
Cosmic fusion beneath the stars
A kiss exchanged, hand holding
While fireworks burst under the dark domed sky
I do not know the reason why

Captivated, I
By this girl
This girl with the Spanish eyes...

Make this go on forever, I pray
Forever, forever and a day
I'm in too deep to turn around
Turn and run away
Haunted in my sleep by visions of her
Divine beauty
Where the images flicker and change
And avoid close scrutiny
But if we are all one and from the same dream have come
Are these fancy words in vain, dancing all alone?
If our universe is but one dew drop on the edge of a celestial blade of grass
Waiting to explode to nothing, as all things that come to pass
If every whisper from your lips turned out to be only lies...
Why do I still wait and watch, captivated, I...

...for the girl with the Spanish eyes?