Duplicity

My love you whisper silver words
That glitter bright as gold
But seem more like a sharpened sword
And can be just as cold

My love you promise all my dreams
Like Sandman's dust on eyes
But every time I fall asleep
All I dream of are lies

My love you say you make me wings
So I may go and fly
But then you chain me to the ground
And make my freedom die

My love you say that you love me
Yet still you always leave
Despite everything you've promised
All you've done is deceive.

Specious

Temptation speaks through elegant words
A silver tongue gleams apparent truth
Charm and glamor shimmer brightly
A facade on lies and deceit

Colored lenses create new perspectives
Wings with promise for freedom
Attached to chains in the ground
Sweet sound of song playing
A siren's call to innocent ears

The lull of complacency to peace
Evil is not the listening nor thought
But guard your actions with sharp sword
Least you walk into the trap
A clear conclusion is hidden in veil

Doubt as black as midnight
Hold strong to the light of fading stars
Till dawns rays show truth
True beauty needs no cover
It lies in light, not shadows

I hear your words no more
Blind or a fool I am not
Temptations sweet call falls silent
As I walk away into sunrise
Night's reign has ended.

War's Song

To sing of war, such sad sweet melody
The husbands, brothers, sons that go to fight
With the full sun they battle and soon see
Blood, dead men descending with the rising night

Away, away the lost scared men flee
Screaming to be saved from death
Slaughtered, shot,living only in memory
Calling for wives and mothers, save me!

But the black casket comes, death claims prize
Farewell my love farewell the black veil falls
Morn all of the good, brave men who've died
Grim reaper comes, hear death's call
Once a mother and wife, stands a widow in her place
Says last goodbye, silent tears on her face.

The Hangman

Step up, it’s time
Your name is called
Each step; one, two, three
Creaks under the weight
Of each footfall
A thud to the heart
Whispering to you,
It’s time, it’s time
The man is up
His face unseen
Rope swings, sweet song
Chains clank reminding
That you will soon be free
They chafe the skin
Liberty within screaming
It’s time, it’s time
Smell the breeze around
Life still goes on
Hear the crowd jeering
Delight and fear in one
Your name on lips once more
They say it’s time, it’s time
Stand and wait
Suspense so great
Weighs heavy on your heart
Whisper a prayer
Escapes your soul
Any second the bottom drops out
Little hinges swing
At last
It’s time, it’s time

Perfect Pieces

Thousands of colorful pieces
Scrambled in a box
Upside down, right side up
Each matches another
One for one, perfectly designed
Fits together with only one mate
Oddly shaped, unique
Alone and separated they mean nothing
Place them together
Watch the picture form
Like any good thing
There are boundaries
Defined limits and an end
Containing intended chaos
Into organization and meaning
It builds and grows
Every piece to make a whole
One piece is missing, only one
A gaping wound of black
Draws the eye
Away from beauty to discontinuity
For each piece that fit into perfection
Pointless now
Only lacking one
So close to complete
Trash it, destroy
It cannot serve its purpose
Corrupted from its meaning
The missing piece
Makes the whole
Like a canvas with one tear
Creates a weakness, fragile
Who would have guessed
One piece in a thousand
Could make such a difference
The perfect puzzle
What a picture
It would have made

Enter Sandman

Enter Sandman

Soft sand falls on my eyelids
King of Dreams, come.
Whisk me away on wings
To new lands with kings
Where anything is possible

Hear the hum of flying fantasies
Where crystal blue waters
Shelter mermaids and kingdoms
Faerie's light glitters and glows
As I walk through green meadows
And my castle has no tower

Enter Sandman

And take me to the land of love
Where hope holds strong and true
Hearts held in gentle hands
The dust of heartbreak is a myth
Laughter spills like sunshine
And the only tears are rain

Whisper sounds of little laughter
A warm hearth, safe home
Feel the constant hand to hold
I walk through groves of money trees
As glass held in frames reflect memories
Paradise Found.


Enter Sandman

Clock hands slow, suspending life
Each tick shows,
Sugar, spice, and everything nice
And snakes, snails, and puppy dog tails
As they run around and grow.
Like little trees that sprout leaves
And make strong roots below.

Hands stand still, stopped.
The black waterfall flows
Into the pool of eternal dreams
Across the endless sea I go,
To the never ending kingdom
Here crowned Queen.

Enter Sandman,
King of Dreams
Scatter your dust,
One more time.

The Mask

A mask to hide,
A cloak to shield
The perfect disguise
It will not yield

What’s underneath?
Behind the curtain,
Of the show
Truth is,
I don’t even know

Worn so long
A second skin
Shut everything out,
Let nothing in

Who is this person?
I can’t seem to find
Who I was those days
I left them behind

A different life
Another land, another place
Grown up, time passes
A different face

Old me on the alter
A new being stands here
But no one can see her
And that’s what I fear

No one sees into
A dark abyss of black
Only way is forward
Can’t go back

Pull it apart
Layer by layer each day
Until nothing’s left
Then I can say

This is who I am.

One King

One King
Stands atop a hill
Overlooking his kingdom
With a broken crown

Once a ruler
Of many subjects
Now he stands alone
But,

He would rather
Be the ruler
Of an empty kingdom
Than a subject
In a full one

Here he makes the laws
With no court or judge
No jury to hang
A private pile of riches
For the taking

He has his throne
He has his crown
No man can bring him down
They tried and failed
Still here he stands
He will rise again

A new crown shines
Life regrows
Atop a hill stands
One king

A Cinderella Story

A Cinderella Story

Prince Charming throws another dart at the board
Cinderella’s face smiles back
You wouldn’t recognize him
The silver armor is gone,
No steed awaits him
Just a black t-shirt and jeans
With a cigarette hanging loosely from his lips

He’d been to the tower,
Fought the dragon and rescued the princess;
And then she ran off with someone else
What a bitch.
A poison apple would have made a better end
He gave her everything,
She laughed in his face

He should have left her there,
Last time he made that mistake
Fool me once…
Princesses be damned
Welcome to the Prince’s Anonymous club

A last dart, the paper shreds
So Prince Charming leaves the bar
One step closer to the villain, than any hero
Thank you Cinderella
As if Prince Charmings weren’t already in short supply
There are enough villains here, without you adding to them
You’re no princess, just a witch in disguise
An enchantress with a dagger, poisoned with evil

He takes a drag on the sidewalk outside
And says one last thing before he walks away:
“Just Remember,
Be careful what you wish for,
Because you just might get it.
Don’t come crying to me,
When there’s no one there to rescue you.
You put yourself in your tower,
Pity won’t get you out.”

He straddles his bike, black smoke kicks up
The deep rumble of his menacing engine starts
He puts on his helmet, lifts his shield;
As he rides off he raises his finger in salute:
Here’s to your Happily Ever After.

Friendship

I would give you the world,
If I thought it would make you happy.
I would give you a song,
To make your soul sing.
I would hand you your dreams,
If I thought you would take them.
And lay down the stars of the sky at your feet,
To light your way.
But we were not meant to be a duet;
Rather two separate songs sung in harmony.
And so I will give you what you need to succeed,
Hope and courage, a hand.
I will sing you a song,
For you to hear with enjoyment.
We will celebrate the dreams you achieve,
and I will help you achieve them.
Your way will be lit,
By the streetlight that is our friendship.
And one day, when we're old,
We will look back and say:
What a wonderful thing it is,
To have a friend.