The Race

I jog upon the tracks so long, watching the runners speed.
I don’t recall why I began, I don’t know where they lead.
I see the muddy footprints of rain and sweat and tears,
And know that I am just one man among a thousand years.

I just keep running, up the hill, and then I stub my toe,
But when I think about it, it’s much, much worse I know.
I’ve now broken my ankle, no, wait, now it’s my knee,
And ,the more I think about it, the broken thing is me!

The runners go on without a glance, and I envy every one!
Their speed, their brains, and their advantage in this race we’ve run.
I try to see the finish, an infinity ahead,
But there’s no way I’ll reach it, I’ll just mope here instead.

I don’t need to win this race, I don’t even need to try
Because it’s obvious that if I do, I’ll keep running til I die.
I’ll lament right here and nurse my wounds, I’ll make them bleed still more;
It can’t be worse than running, for running I deplore.

But I see a pretty flower and on it’s written “Now”,
And I stand up and walk again, it not longer matters how.
I enjoy the stroll, it’s nice out here, the air, the birds, the sea,
The only way it could improve is if someone ran with me.

It.

I. Discovery

When I was young I sallied forth into the Great Unknown.
I looked for wonders, truths, and thoughts that I had not been shown.
I came upon a pyramid, a tomb of some great king,
And then I thought I’d venture in, just to see the thing.
I wandered down the flights of stairs, deep and deeper still
I would not turn back despite the risk, and I kept on until
I found a crypt encased in stone, and I could not stop my mind
Thus I moved the heavy slab and within It I did find.
As my terror rose and rose, I glanced above my head.
There I saw a warning, and this is what I read:

“A fool, a Fool, that’s who you are, to open this tomb and come this far
You can’t go back, the seal’s not whole, It shall latch on, invade your soul
You can’t escape, you cannot flee, It’s a part of you for eternity
Now thou art Doomed to live no more, for It’s got you to your very core.”

I realized my error, but not in time.
I’d gone too far and done the crime.
I did not shout, I did not wail.
I did not cry, I only fail.
I turned and ran, but It was too fast.
It haunted my future, It cursed my past.
And for all my years It came with me
For It was my eternity.

II. Pursual

Where could she be? She’s always late.
She should be here! Perhaps It’s Fate?
Oh here she comes! Oh, now she’s here.
I’d wished for more! No more, I fear.
I can’t have more! That can not exist.
Why should I try? I shan’t persist.

And then It struck, and I was hit, I’d forgotten all I’d learned,
And how I screamed, within my mind, and how my heart was burned!
I should not have stopped! I should not have quit! But the damage had been done.
And thus It hit me, once again, and again I began to run.

It followed me still, as I ran, I could not escape Its' wretched plan.
Thus I jumped into the Sea, hoping that Death could protect me.
But It was there in that kingdom deep, my soul It sought so It could reap
And though I swam and fought and tried, even still It never died.
On and on It came until, I realized why It haunted still.

III. Defeat

The tired old man rocked his rocking chair, as he always did.
The child walked up and asked the man, for the boy was just a kid,
“Oh wise old man, what have you seen, in this great world of ours?
Have you touched the sun, rode comets far, and lived among the stars?”
But the old man merely nodded, to this child so young,
And in his tender, tormented voice a dirge is what he sung:

Oh dear child, my lovely boy, how naïve you are.
You just can’t see the terror of that oh so distant star.
You have not see the Sun up close and been blinded by Its' light.
You haven’t tried to fight the sky and been beaten every night.
You’ve got what all these people seek, you just don’t know It’s true.
But you’ll lose the gift, as do we all; that day you’ll often rue.
You wish advice? I have a bit, though It’s difficult to hear
It’s just a temporary patch on a black hole, I fear.
Escape, sweet child, escape escape, escape into your world.
Not mine, not hers, not Its’, but yours, that’s where your joy is curled.
Escape somehow, beautiful child, escape into the sea.
Escape escape escape escape, but don’t stay here with me.
I’m old and tired, cemented here, I can run no more.
It’s coming for me, and now, at last, I can finally lose this war.
I must remain to accept the truth, no matter what the pain,
But there’s still a chance for you, dear boy, so escape from the sane!
Escape into joy, Escape to the sky,
Escape into others, Escape til you die.
Escape forever and a day, escape until the Angels say
That you’ve escaped your life away and no more must you escape, I pray.
Escape to Heaven, Hope, and Lies and laugh until this old man dies.
Escape from all the ‘who’s’ and ‘why’s” escape from all our anguished cries.
‘Escape’ my last advice to you, escape from It, and from me too…

I want It, I need It, I must have It forever.
I shun It, I forsake It, I think I’m oh so clever.
I lament It, I mourn It, yet It cuts me through and through.
Where is It, Why is It, What is It to you?

The Sound of Music

The sound of music filled the air at just the hint of sound.
This case of paranoia is how we two are found.
A pinprick is unearthly pain, torrents of tears unfold.
A match is an inferno, and an ice cube’s oh so cold.

We Love, we Hate, we reciprocate all feelings sent our way.
But our effects are ten-fold strong, they can’t be kept at bay.
My Love believes that this is how we always ought to feel;
So I begrudgingly comply to laugh, to cry, to reel.

I have my doubts about this path, it seems a bit too much;
But Heaven’s Envy convinces me with her caressing touch.
She claims it is experience that I must live to claim,
Every moment is divine, and none are quite the same.

The rise and fall’s a constant haul, a climb both up and down,
An awful assault of senses that makes all smiles a frown.
I feel so unclean living so much, but She’s the one it’s for;
Thus I dive into the sea and above the clouds we soar.

She seems to make it all worthwhile, this Love, this Life, this Way;
Yet still the feelings take their toll: the price my soul must pay.
The Dammed break forth and overwhelm my self during the fray;
So in the end I’m forced to either writhe or run away.

Thus we live, we wretched two, grasping every thorn.
I wish for euphoric ecstasy, and in return get only scorn.

The King and I

The King and I sit upon our throne, observing each day pass.
We watch the grains of sand whirl by our prison made of glass.
These walls we built that won’t come down are clear, but stand opaque;
For though we see the moments ripe, no actions can we take.

Resigned are we, unto our fate, with Hope a pleasant dream.
Nothing worthy finds the eye, no greatness do we deem.
But the dust accosts my soul and attachments hence are made
Which make the ending all the worse when they must wane and fade.

A trinket here, a diamond there, all worn away by time.
Still we remain here, passively, witnesses to the crime.
I thought, perhaps, I should reach out and save them from their fate,
But my companion convinces me that they won’t satiate.

I miss the sparkle of each stone I’ll never see again.
Though new jewels do pass my way, it isn’t as it’d been.
So I repine for gems long past, while more fly into view;
Before I mourn each fragment gone, the cycle starts anew.

But each new rock is just a curse: a burden, not a gain!
For though I try to reach and grasp, I can’t transcend the pane!
I soon forget each glimmer that once kept me insane,
So now I’m back to apathy, no sunshine for our reign.

Thus we watch, we wretched two, and fades our rejected bliss;
Still we cannot help but wonder what it is we always miss.