The Meadow

The sun shines down
Gently caressing grass of green
Giving life to all it touches
And all that lies underneath
The soft wind blows
Leaving ripples in its wake
Carrying seeds on great journeys
To places far distant
Where they may grow and bring life
Touched still by the gentle rays

No clouds in this sky
A perfect blue
Shining and smiling down
Yet clouds there shall be
To bring the water of life
Helping all to grow

Through the air
With carefree abandon
The butterfly soars
In her mind all is at peace
Contentment fills her being
Beauty is created by her very presence
Fleeting in time
But always remembered
Where the sun shines

The Moon

The soft moan lingers
Ringing in the ear as the greatest music of old
Always remaining on the very cusp of hearing
Lingering
Waiting to be heard again
Yet it is gone forever

A soft shimmer in the dark
Reflecting what faint light there is
Reminds of the far distant moon
Yearning to be touched
Fading away each day
Only to be born again
Seek not this light
For it has long passed

The faintest copper smell
As the crowns and ornaments of time immemorial
Savoured and shared
Signs of great wealth, great favour
Tarnished
Years gone by without use
Without sight
Forgotten in caves and barrows
Waiting

A drop falls
Yet hangs in the air
Suspended in a moment of time
See the shape form
Deep red of finest wine
Leaving bottle and passing lips
Nourishment and pleasure
It falls now
Lands
Breaking moment of perfect silence
To be followed by another
And another again
Until endless stream flows

The flow slows
Stops
endless no more
In fading light a glint
As blade falls
Lands with final thud
On carpet soaked and dark
An ending at last
As the moon rises again
Bathing all in soft cold light

Backlog

I've got a backlog of stuff to post, I'll see how I go over the weekend. In the meantime...

Work in progress

The first time was the hardest. And the easiest, when it came down to it. Like so many things, it started in a bar. Not a happy bar, no celebrations here. Wasn't a meat-market either. The only reason for this bar was to consume as much alcohol as you could, as quickly as possible. The rules are unwritten in these places, but strictly enforced. No trouble, ever. If you start anything, the enforcers step in. None of them ever licensed, but they could stand in for Godzilla in the right light.

I saw him, at the bar, drinking like his life depended on it. I guess it did though, in hindsight. In any case, I'd already watched him stalking the streets, shaking down the bums and cheap whores. I knew him. Not his name, but enough to get started. It was easy to sit there nursing my whiskey, if you were quiet then no one would ever bother you.

He wasn't hard to follow. Staggered a little, not surprising given how much he'd been drinking. I caught up with him in a nice quiet spot in the park. Enough light to see from the moon, but that was it. Bumped into him. Slurred an apology. Slit his throat.

It was messy. Noisier than I had thought, as well. But the park was big, and nobody comes running if they hear anything here. Quite the opposite.

I left him to bleed out in the moonlight, just kept walking. Didn't look like much. I can honestly say I felt nothing. No concern. In this town, unless you're a pretty white girl or have someone to push the case, an investigation just ain't happening. He'd go down on the books as unsolved, victim known to police, suspected drug deal gone bad. Christ knows, happens often enough. Just another statistic.

I also felt no joy. He meant nothing more to me than proof of concept. A test, if you will, of strategy and tactics. Some lessons to be learned. Improvements to be made. I can't even say I was grateful. Not for him.

Shifted

He sits
Clutching his head again
The eternal pain
Stabbing behind eyes unseeing
As he stares into eternity
It is worse tonight
He is close
He must complete

Blinded by pain her reaches out
Hand guided by demon in head
Knowing he can only delay the inevitable
Yet willing to sacrifice his future
For the present
For relief

Grasping the knife he drags it back
Until deep red flows freely
Soothing, calming
He watches it flow, soaking into wood
Stained already
Splotched and coloured
Letting it flow freely

Slowly the pain recedes, is replaced
A moment of balance
Vision returning as movement fails
Grip lost, a clatter as blade falls
Slumping back he can see
Reaching down, tries to cover
Fails
His mind now clear, demon sated
He sees the truth, the pain not gone
Just shifted

Vision fading once more
He laughs
Defeated
Present all that remains
Future lost now
He smiles and tries to salute his foe
Fails

The pain is gone

Journey Undone

I went on a journey the other day
Long and dark the roads traversed
I met a man, he had this to say
"Do not go further. This path is cursed."

I asked him to explain, to tell me more
But he just stood there in silence
I asked again, if he was truly sure
He stood and looked at me with defiance

So I continued on my journey
Walking down the cursed path
Telling myself that nothing would affect me
Feeling coldness clenching at my heart

I strode down the path, darkness falling fast
I saw a lady sitting on a rock
She didn't speak as I walked past
But looked at me and motioned to stop

Ignoring her I pushed into the dark
Where vines were choking the way
My shirt was torn, a wound above my heart
The blood flowed, I did not stop to stay

The path disappeared, lost in the night
I pressed forward, collecting wounds
For any thought at all, a hint that I might
Turn back, give up, was a loon

But came a point where could push no further
And wrapped in branches, I hung
Striving to free myself, so would not remain stuck here
Stubborn pride took me this far along

I remain there, hanging, to this very day
Cursing the choices that led me here
I should have listened to what he had to say
Instead I live in this nightmare

Curse

That eternal curse
That stirs emotions
Creates waves of feeling
Causes commotion

Bringing pain unimaginable
Sometimes unbearable
Slicing deep through barriers
Standing time immermorial

Some call a blessing
Knowing not what they say
Seeing not the true meaning
Hurt is the way

For this cursed blessing
Leading down slippery slope
To deepest pit of despair
The cursed hope

My Head

My head is not space

My head has no space

Filled with thoughts

Sometimes with pain

Sometimes with joy

But always full

My head is in space

Drifting freely 

Floating from point to point

Slowly freezing

Becoming set as thoughts slow

Held tightly

My head needs space

To expand and flow

To try

The Simple Task

The simple task impossible
The complex unimaginable
Even to start, to begin
Insurmountable
The barriers too high
The moat too wide
So stay hidden
Unstarted is better than unfinished
Safety in hiding

Blood

Blood fills my vision
Slowly coating each surface
Gently caressing
Thick layer of red

Blood drips down
One drop at a time
Pooling in small sticky puddles
Drying slowly until
Blood drips down
Breaking the surface

Where has it come from?
Where does it go?
Why does it stay?

I move
Each step harder as the world drags at me
Each time slower
Wanting to give in
Refusing to stop
I move and become coated myself
Blending

Blood is my vision
A constant sea of red
Darkening slowly
Darkening
Gone.