memory.

viscous days without purpose
consume the person she once was.


sometimes its as if the heart is torn from the chest.

when looking into those eyes
and seeing myself reflected back so clearly.

my heart skips a beat when I turn to see your smile.

my smile in return, involuntary.

I love so freely.
So openly, I'm sure you see it.
Everyone else does.

You're so hard to read, though.

He takes my hand and holds it in the dark,

and smiles softly at the tear that comes, each time

memory of the love we never got to keep.

viscous days without purpose.

end.

waking

i watch
the fog roll off the lake
and over the city until i am
surrounded by its thick, cold dampness
before i step into the unknown.

the darkness of winter
mornings, chill, early,
before the city awakes

allows for meditation.

i find myself--in the darkness of winter mornings.

Elisesofia’s Vengence

love escapes from her veins 

warm and flowing as her face pales in the darkness.  

her breath shallow she gives her life to regain his.

he lies unknowing in the dark.  

body wrought with scars.  

he screamed for days 

and just as his voice ran out she gave him breath again.

he. 

     wakes. 

                slowly. 

                            rising. 

                                      breath.  

                                                 stolen. 

by the sight of her, 

limp and cold now before him, his child in her arms.  

The Gods tremble at his rage 

and his purpose is realized 

as he cradles the infant she gave him.  

remnant of Love

dim light illuminates her,

standing naked once more, proud.

shivering as cool air

passes over pale skin

that now swells to reveal new growth

the last remnant of Love.

she shakes away the single tear and stands, strong.

to walks back into the deep comfort of the forest.

rain falls quietly in the night, again

and she runs, wildly in the dark

carrying the child born to destiny,

with spite following just behind

crossing through the waters
she hands the child to the trees
and turns, facing spite

from the trees emerge the few
who still believe in Love's remnant,

and without a word they stand to fight.

I'm thinking about writing a book. . . about my childhood

Beginnings

I am the daughter of a lawyer and a teacher. If anything, that's where I can begin.

Daddy grew up somewhere between his father's deep Baptist Tennessee farmland and his mother's inner city Cleveland, Ohio. His life, from what bits I've come by, was never easy. Mama was from Cleveland too-- the eleventh child of a poor Catholic family that had their beliefs, if nothing else. Her family lived in the apartment above her Grandfather's grocery store.

They first met in Cleveland. She was eight, he was nine, and he had sic'd his dog on her. Later on they shared the same circle of friends, and though I'm not sure the version I've heard is entirely true, they ended up together in the end regardless.

I came along as the first lovechild of theirs, added to their shared brood of one son and one daughter. I was the law school baby. And when I came on a sunny June day they took me home, set me on the picnic table in the back yard and wondered what to do next. While they were pondering away, I had plans brewing. By the time I was one year old I had earned myself a reputation-- I would only sleep outside in the cool night air and I would eat anything I could get my hands on.

A year later I was joined by my younger sister, Krista. I let her know who was boss the very first day, sinking my three or four new teeth into her newborn arm. The competition has never ended. Kyle arrived, after much anticipation, in the fourth year of my life. They are now the most important people in my life

Summer
I recall lazy summer afternoons lying in the grass, watching the sky change from blue to pink to a darker blue and waiting for the lightning bugs to come out. Sometimes, just as it was getting to be time for bed a summer thunderstorm would roll in over the horizon and we would sit, the five of us, on the front porch and watch it coming. Counting the seconds between the loud thunderclap and the distant flash of lightning, calm and happy.

Vinegar and Honey

Life wasn't always sweet at home. Sometimes we would fight for weeks, but not without reason, without cause. There was no arguing simply for argument's sake. And in the end, the one message that I've learned is that we must love each other, before ourselves. Selfishness, spite, are the most basic forms of abuse. In the moments when we do not think of others, we can only be thinking of ourselves.

safekeeping.

in the deep black night she wakes, afraid, 

calls your name to know you're safe 

and realizes that behind the dreams 

she knew that you would be there, too. 

in the deep black night, where demons dwell

she grasps your hand and conquers hell

then fills her heart with all her love,

hands it to you with silver gloves 

for safekeeping.  

asylum

these dreams these dreams

that wake me in a cold sweat in darkness

these dreams these dreams

that leave me shaking alone in darkness

these dreams these dreams

that find me screaming out in darkness

are endless.

where does the soul find this torture?

when does the soul find peace?

how does the soul keep going

when its followed by these dreams these dreams?

for love's sake man,

can't you see I'm being eaten alive here? eaten alive.

for love's sake man,

can't you see I'm terrified here? terrified?

for love's sake man,

don't leave me alone now, don't leave me alone.

and that man in the corner, he's not really there

I know, man, I KNOW, but still, he stares and stares

and that girl in the bath, oh I know she's not real,

but she'll still tell me how worthless she feels

stay here awhile, please, so I can get some sleep,

stay here awhile, please, so I can get some peace

and when I wake up I'll see you here and know that

I'm ok, man, I'm ok.

cause you granted me asylum- for a few hours today.

down down down

water flows

down down down

into the shallow blue of My lake.

from the hills where the glacier died,

across the gentle slope of land,

through the slowly flowing wetlands,

in sparkling webs,

water flows.

down down down

into the shallow blue of My lake.

where once the emerald forests stood entwined

a people lived and grew,

building cities, harsh with brick and stone,

until the forests I once knew

were burned away to wasteland.

yet.

water flows down into the shallow blue of My lake.

october

october winds whip around her figure,

standing naked, barefoot in the field beside the house.

october raindrops fall on her skin,

shivering, pale against the night.

he walks out to wrap her in a blanket,

standing side by side they look into the lasting dark

wondering what lies just out of sight.

october night envelops two figures,

clinging, desperate in the night.

october morning brings gentle sun,

waking two figures, slowly.

catharsis

She downed that whiskey with a vengeance, hoping to wash away the absolute fury that left her shaking in the dark as you walked away.

hit me.

again.

again.

Somehow this poison might relieve the sting from the all too fresh wound.

She sat alone, now, staring at the next shot, still shaking as her own words echoed in her mind.

Ashamed at the truth the barkeep whispered as he poured the poison again.

"You're too pretty to be so sad."

hit me.

He touched her shoulder as if afraid she'd shatter, and she did.

He pulled her close and she let silent tears fall, her face without expression.

Grateful for a friend she knew, she fell back and let him drive--safe, finally, she let down that stony guard.

And he took her hand and held it in the dark.

mama wait

mama don't leave me just yet,

hang on for a bit

I'll crawl into your bed,

like when I was your child.

tell me a story before you go,

something long, with a dragon, princess in tow

mama don't leave me just yet,

mama don't leave me just yet,

wait til the morning

we can watch the sunrise,

like when I was your child.

sing me a song before you go,

something sweet, my lullaby, smooth and slow

mama, dont leave me just yet

my old enemy.

anger fuels these words

where spite, my old enemy,

burned this heart again

I try, and try, and try

to forgive.

but I can see papa's face, still,

and hear the words you said,

I was there, for all the years you pretended we weren't.

I try, and try, and try

to forgive.

but I can see papa's face, still,

and hear the tears in the dark,

I was there, for all the years you weren't.

anger fuels these words: get out, stay out, and don't come again

because I don't need to pretend that you were ever a friend.

compassion pulls them back in before they are loosed,

because spite, you see, it eats at you,

don't think I can't see, the damage it's caused,

you may spit venom at me, but it's you that it's harmed

and when you come round, all sugary sweet,

and pretend that you're somehow interested in me

I can see through your guise just as easily,

but still

I try, and try, and try

to forgive.

You may be blood, but that's running thin

and until you stop letting your poison flow,

here's one more thing you ought to know:

spite, my old enemy, he's a mean motherfucker,

and little girl, he's just eatin you up.

Wandering

Sun warms skin even as I shiver against that breeze.

I watch you smile, climbing to meet me.

Settling in for a nap in the grass I realize this is beautifully easy.

Waking in your arms ready to face the night

where in the dark we walk, towards the sunrise

and when we reach the ocean, then we will sleep in the dark again.

night

I could love you, you know,

if only you'd let me.

If you'd give up those fears

stop trying to protect me.

I could love you.

Thoughts of you fill my mind

and I smile dispite myself,

recalling words

whispered in the dark

in that blackest night.

With a silent prayer I wait for the wind to carry you back to me.

Voices

i sing
out to the world
where anyone who cares to

listen, hears

and pour out the words that are carried in this heart
like thick honey on one of those cool
Cleveland days

the homeless man in the courtyard tips his hat
as he shakes his penny cup, too

i sing
out to the world
where anyone passing by
might turn their head, wonder

and think.

where is that voice? carried on the wind
like the message of some distant deity we hope exists.
their eyes drawn all around until the light changes
and they continue on their way

as i remain hidden
beneath the green green leaves
in that courtyard,
across from the homeless man shakin his penny cup,
between the statue of the virgin and the cool stone of the cathedral wall

i sing.
and listen as the coins in his cup shake out a beat,
watch as his faded suit walks down the path,
the world takes no notice
the cathedral bells ring out the call for mass
and he hums a few of my lines


i sing.

revenge on banality?

the clock ticks as the cat watches the oceans flow on the discovery channel.
and i review the list of duties for another day.
wake up. shower. put on pants, shirt and shoes, with socks. eat. feed cat.

the clock ticks as the cat watches the girl stare out the window.
and i review the list of duties for another afternoon.
go library: check email, find book of guitar music. go bank: get money for rent. go home. eat.

the clock ticks as the cat watches the man remind the girl that life isn't a list.
and i review the list of duties for another night.
practice guitar music. write 24 sentences of the book. call home. eat. feed cat.

the clock ticks as the cat watches the girl wake up.
and i review the list of duties for another day.
feed cat. tear up list.

check.

Entropy

there is a place that's lost in time

existing in the space between seconds

where silence echos in the mind

and moments, memories swell and rise

like ocean's constant churning.

and there is where the soul resides

where each emotion,

lost to time, collides

with passing of two minds

as that place between the seconds 

perpetuates this chaos.   

Remember.

1 Corinthians 13

Love

 ¹If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ²If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

 ⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 ⁸Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. ¹¹When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. ¹²Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

 ¹³And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Loose Screws (the sad story of a nameless man)

standin on the highway

looking for his mind

this old man looks up just in time

to see them three sweet young things

drivin down the line

street on his face

step towards their car

point gnarled hands

to pulls his trigger

yellin as he busts that cap

standin on the highway

looking for his mind

this old man looks up just in time

to see them three sweet young things

drivin by

something grows behind the staircase.

in the world behind the staircase

light seems to trick the eye

colors swirl around

fliting image just out of sight

music leads to garden's door

where children may find magic

and elders get their lore

_

in the world behind the staircase

legends live to play and grow

a child's mind springing

from enchantments only known

to those who are not seeking

but looking to be found

magic reminiscing

as Spring breaks ground once more

nightmare

breath falls ___uneven
eyes refuse to see
fists held before
___________protective futility
ears strain ___waiting
heart beats ___once
skin crawls ___shivers
soul forever ___lost

Nothing is Ordinary

Pause, for a moment
and clear the mind
in this world of rush
you must take the time
for moments.

Quiet yourself
and allow your eyes
to open upon the world
each moment is full of life, energy, emotion

Without this, existence fails.

In this world of rush
competition is law
we forget selflessness
and allow spite to rule over all.

Pause, for a moment.

In quiet rain

I

listen in the dark
to the soft hum and slow skip
of one young thing
makin' her way home.

wearing thin white cotton and carrying those shoes
she sings herself a quiet love song.
rise to watch her dance across grass
new and glistenin' with quiet rain

pale skin in new spring
illuminated by soft glowing moonlight
one young thing
makin' her way home.

Ghost in the Forest

I typically don't give directions on how my work should be read, but this one is an exception.  Read slowly aloud in a deep, spooky voice that stretches the vowels, as though you are slowly slipping into a deep madness.  

in the land of quicksand

your soul is lost in eternal time

the more you struggle and thrash around

the deeper you sink into the ground

if you stop and just float 

you may later boast 

to living a life quite long

if within controlled chaos 

you see reason and choice

you may yet find the way out

just follow this voice:

in the land of quicksand

your soul is lost in eternal time

the more you struggle and thrash around

the deeper you sink into the ground

spring

Sun warms skin even as I shiver against that breeze.

I watch you smile, climbing through grass to meet me.

Settling down for good

and a nap in the grass

I realize this is beautifully easy.

The Emotionless Man

The Emotionless Man sat at his desk,
observing, without bias, his world.
The Emotionless Man couldn't understand
why she was so upset.
He looked at the facts and the facts alone
but couldn't piece together why,
upon seeing him there that afternoon
his lady began to cry.

Morning Lost

Heart keeps beating, just to spite me.
Eyes open upon daylight.
Again.
Wait for the pain.
Eyes close, breath comes-
in short, strained gasps.
Oh yes, I remember now.
Eyes open.
Straining to hear your footsteps
You aren't here- and I wonder why I survived another night.
With slow, careful movements,
I stand and face the day,
alone.

Burnt

Missing that ocean from afar
Is destruction strikes the core.
Passion overflows this mind,
as the tide once came each morning.
All things change, grow, move, live, create
but when does the end become the beginning?
Will we realize that actions leave scars that run deeper than we comprehend?
World like an infant will only survive with care.
Coherent thought abandons this mind
And the image of the unregulated world horrifies.

Missing that ocean from afar

it's vast importance close to heart

The damage which we demonstrate

burns this drifting soul.

Hint of a Memory

wake from this dream
as the chaos around
morphs from a blur to a vague shape
these nights consume the scrap of soul
in which my memories lie
sheets soaked through from
nightmare's cold sweats
but He is there
gentle hands hold back thrashing limbs
calm eyes stare deep into this frantic mind
and suddenly, She remembers

silent moment seems eternal
until she collapses against strong shoulders
and lets a single tear fall before asking

how long?

Infinity

These eyes close
at the end of the never ending day
and with a
sigh she lets all her pain float away.

Great escape
she found one way to ease that pain.

The sun comes
bringing new inspiration

Her pen flows
spilling dark ink over
clean white in
never ending day

Drifting, Soft and Without Corners

Think strong, move soft


quiet breath



I smile, quietly to myself

as I listen to that song

you sang the day you

saved me

from myself



I close my eyes as the world melts away

and we are all there is

and in a breath you're here again

the reason I still live



with ocean drifting gentle hands

guide me through the night

and when I wake it is, just once,

without a hint of fright.


Memory of this love like soft, sweet petals

I smile, quietly to myself

as I listen to that song

you sang the day you

saved me

from

myself

Perspective

green grass grows all around all around
while somewhere else the grass won't grow
the sun won't shine and the rain never ends
green grass grows all around all around
while somewhere else the grass just burns
the sun just shinies and the rain never comes
green grass grows all around all around
while somewhere else the grass is red
the sun doesn't matter and the rain sings out
a sad melody

Memory Like a Whisper

Nighttime beauty 

stuns them into silence 

as they lay back 

on warm sand 

and dream into the sky.  

Ocean calm, cool, steady 

leads them 

on a journey toward the edge of earth.   

Skin, 

wet, 

shivers 

beneath Ocean's breath.  

Reach up and pull a star from the sky 

they put it in a jar 

and the night is 

not so dark.  

Ocean, calm, cool, steady

carries them,

drifting, toward the edge of the Earth.

Breath, 

quiet,

quickens

beneath Ocean's waves.  

Nighttime beauty 

stuns them into silence 

as they lay back 

on warm sand 

and dream into the sky.  

Awakening

comfort of home 

calls me back  

from my mental meandering 

where, misplaced, I forgot about the music

I forgot about the sound

of mama mixin bread

and hummin aloud

comfort of home  

calls me back 

from my malignant meditation 

where, mesmerized, I forgot about the music

I forgot about the sound

of papa singin out to Beulah 

and smilin, proud

all to easily the mind will relent 

to lost souls' wandering 

mind sings a soft lament

when even those most treasured 

turn their heads away

it's time to recall the reasons

for waking another day

turn away the demons, 

look up from the dark,

and sing of love, of freedom, 

recall the living spark

then wake and greet the morning, 

wonder at the dark

Resource

time stops ticking

and smears along

and my head spins again

just a little longer

this time around

I won’t fall down

I need a sedative

cause you can’t just let me live

I need a sedative

to stop this internal pacing

but my mind will atrophy

without stimulation

I’m just at the border where the sane are

all too easily pushed

over the line

they lose their grip

on that bit of humanity

they desperately grasp

all instinct

animal

they fight to survive with whatever remains

and so with my mind I will crush you.

why aren’t you running yet?

Ghosts

can’t feel my face

my jaw is sore

yet still this young blood asks for more

with disregard for time and space

he smashes down the poison

at a rate that surely would

remove from him any

sense of human sin

 

and still I wait for him to see

the damage he is causing me

as I struggle beneath his weight

his clumsy hands and slurring voice

my heart recalls the gentle man

he used to be

Queen

This girl she thinks she’s a queen

she’s mean

words cut like a razor

but not so simple

if only Occam

could decipher

the sanity behind her babbling

this girl thinks she’s a queen.

Listen

in early morning quiet

 I try to fall asleep

and pass the hours silently,

I listen to you breathe.

cold winter outside my window,

with a cloudless clear black sky,

and with one star shining brightest

I contemplate this life.  

taxonomy

 

they used to call me wizard

not so long ago

I’d use this mind to make them soar

and with their bread I’d learn some more

They used to call me teacher

                                preacher

                                angel

                                lover

                                lost

and now my name’s been changed again

I’m broken, dangerous

But he will call me love

and that’s all that there is

and with his breath I rise again

from a soul once very dead.

Terror.

sick at the mere thought 

of anything darin to hurt you 

I say a quick prayer

to a God who may have left this world 

and hope for your soul that he hasn't

 

with tears in these eyes 

I work harder to control 

this body which shakes 

beneath grief unknown to 

man

 

and as grief turns to rage 

I wonder why it is 

he ain't runnin yet. 

Lost in the hunting

Lost in the hunting

eyes mist

as you land that

final kiss

determined to walk away from

bliss

Lost in the hunting

skin shivers

as you climb that

final step

determined to continue on

living

in this cold

haiku

crunch stale almonds on

pearly whites while wondering

volatile dinner.

Futile Fidelity

Grit the teeth

wait

                 hammer falls

Hard on a lost cause

wait

                  patron, 

                                   saint

Eyes focused above 

wait

                   salvation hovers

Moments

 

too late

 

The Goal

I long for a time

without form,

void,

when nothing is everything

what's everything?

before life there was darkness

in darkness there was

something

sparking this life

some questions arose.

with multiverse theories abound

I wonder

which parallel gave us the ground

on which I now stand and ponder around

forming science

with all of its theories and laws

that somehow fit in to the ultimate cause

and this life is but one that perpetuates

the clear goal, still,

to proliferate

Words

I speak words

that hurt this soul

cutting deep to remove that

love, like a cancer

walk away

fogetting to breathe

icy air that chokes the throat

somewhere in the darkness

a single tear

falls.

Love like a cancer. . .

laugh loud and lilting
you sing with sparkling eyes
take a moment
watching
smiling eyes
wonder at reasons
but respect decisions
still
the not so hidden thoughts
of mind and soul
can't fill
emptiness
drive away
somehow
trying
understand,
know
even with you
close but distant

I'm still alone.

words fill my mind
hours later I dissect
every glance
moment
not with regret
but
somewhere
sadness
longing
you tried to understand
thankful,
without knowing
attempt to comprehend

love without expecting
but wanting all along

handle being broken
so long.

I go on alone
each day one step one time
I recall my training -

wake and thank the morning

and wonder at the night

Heart palpatations

with this

love like a cancer,

I'm losing and I'm not sure I care.

This medicine's too strong 

my will is weak 

I watch your smile 

and know defeat

I wake 

and thank 

the morning,

and wonder at the night.

Parallel

walk
forward
step
more
plain
pain
present

life
ice
dice
twice


far far away

division
mind
body
soul
mind


choice
=
life


//


I walk
slow forward
one step
more now
plain emotion
pain's devotion
present motion

life paused
ice melt
dice thrown
twice known

far far away

division hurts
mind wins
body wants
soul needs
mind relents

This choice
=
life again

Friendship

Don't ruminate.

illuminate!

lose the dread

and laugh at the tough

cause darlin I know its rough

but light =  fight

or maybe flight

and which ever way

you turn

I'll be by your side

I may poke and prod 

and urge you along

cause I've seen your Magic

your brains and your love

for the life that you've worked

so hard to make clear

So I'm here holding you 

up when you slip and slide

along this path on which we've tried

so hard to glide, hand in hand, side by side, 

I'm here. 

Keep breathin love,

cause the sky won't fall down today, 

not when I'm holdin it up this way. 

(For Amanda)

Forte

Lost in dreamtime
reflection of my own mind
piano plays constantly
changing growing arpeggios
grow louder until
the world is silenced
and all that remains
are these thoughts.

Recognize the pattern hidden
beneath the ramblings
of one mind clashing against another
stubborn opposition
will not change my position
and the beat carries me to the stratosphere
I fear the ionosphere
won't let me back down
as I lose my footing
in this search for ground

faint notes of fading arpeggios
lead me back to reality
where you remind me again
that I'm wrong.


Forte.

Lets Play Like

we're grown

off on our own

livin and lovin

like it just ain't nothin

Lets Play Like

we're real

like we know how we feel

as the wind swept us up

in this fantasy game

Lets Play Like

we're brave

like we're here to save

somthing important

but we don't understand

that this game has two hands

one that lifts us 

high into air 

where we breathe

sweet dreams and time machines

one that brings us back down

to the cold uneven ground

and reality reminds us

that love alone

aint enough to 

to provide the stuff

we'll need to survive

that game

Wisdom

a cat
fights in the alleyway
screams as a bite
tears precious flesh
from a face
thin and scarred
from lessons
in wisdom
on the street

Numb

awake and wonderin 

i listen to the song 

you sang to me that day 

when everything was wrong

music like a memory

brings your face to mind

and here i am

awake and wonderin

alone with the silence

the emptyness within

softly singing

breath against cool skin

i close my eyes, recalling

you're here with me again

i smile dispite myself

lookin in your eyes

and wonder how a person

can feel so alive

History

years of evolution

recall the bitter cold

ancestral hairs raise up

against a skin of pale gold

this is no solution

though the effort does persist

and yet I will survive

against cold winter's wish

Delightful!

With just a brief

glimpse

into the world

with life as short

as mine, it's easy

to remember

life still

will end, with time.

My purpose her is simple,

to proliferate

my species

much to your delight.

Study of a Soul

I study your face

finding piercing blue eyes

that hold some unanswered question.

My heart breaks again

as I watch you smile

away the thoughts

on your mind.

You stare right back into my eyes.

One second goes by

like a hundred years

While I struggle to turn my eyes

away from the mind

that so intrigues mine,

wondering who it was that you saw

when you looked into my soul.

There are many faces

wandering there

their own thoughts battle

the one

who, working to

maintain control

finds her grip slipping on this

young soul.

Born in an age where control is above

all else

--the means to survive

only those who persist

with the strength of an old mind

will

For the love of the world.

The species Homo sapiens has unarguably made the largest impact upon the Earth. By shaping and reshaping its landscapes, manipulating biological and chemical processes, and exploiting the species we share the biosphere with, humans have made the Earth their own. This possession comes with a responsibility to cultivate, care and repair—but without a united understanding of the importance of this responsibility the Earth will eventually have to fight back on its own. With ice, fire and rain, the balance will eventually be regained until the next dominant species becomes too greedy as well. The retribution has already begun; those who have realized this are fighting to educate the remainder of the species, to instill the knowledge and appreciation of the Earth and its systems in the young, with hope that they have time yet.

Good vs. Evil?

In the fight to survive
there are only two sides,
them versus us.
Who are we to define
who is that ultimate devine
in the battle between them versus us?
To them we are evil
and to us they're the same,
and to not pick a side is to most just insane.
Between worlds the evils always seem to change,
but a person can get lost in the darker shades of gray.
The innocents in either world are always the same,
and somehow they also make the easiest prey.

Neo

New year New breath New start New hope

I take a risk and once again

can feel the weight of the pen

as I work to tame the rampant thoughts

and dare to dream again

I watch the cold icy wind blow around my fragile skin

and yet I'm numb from within

observing without feeling, seems like sin

but take the chance and start to feel a flicker here and there-- so real

and suddenly I've broken free

I recall who I once used to be

and laugh out loud to think that I

almost let this flicker die

Cause I'm only human, as they say

I'll live this life day to day

and with a prayer on my lips

I leap into the snowy drifts