Monday, July 30, 2012

The Unknown

How often do we fear
What we do not know?
We cringe and retreat
At the rank smell of
Something new,
Rather than toil
And sweat to uncover
Its sweet perfume.

We shut our eyes
To all novelty,
And breathe in
The stale air of
Familiarity
That weighs on us,
Immobilizing our limbs
And paralyzing our minds.

As fear courses through
Your veins,
Your heart is torn between
Ease and uncertainty.
Your soul yearns to
Hearken to the Unknown,
But your body lies still
In a Peace that comes easily.

But a Greater Peace awaits
Through unchartered territory –
So trample your fear
On the trodden path.
If you cast aside the burdens
Of comfort
And reach for my hand,
I will give you my light
I will show you the way.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Moonlight, Daylight


The Sky was bright
As I walked along the quai.
I could hear the waves
Carrying the clouds away,
And I looked up to see
The clear blue expanse
Harboured the Moon above.

The Moon was always there,
Though oft invisible to eyes
Blinded by pageantry.
The Sun ablaze
Burned decadence
In our minds.
Pupils dilated,
We searched
Among its rays
For fleeting passion,
A moment of heat.

As the Sun drew away,
We followed it,
Our vision, blurred –
So that,
Even if we could see it,
The Moon looked cold,
A face, hardened,
A sign that night would fall.

The Moon was distant,
Disguised in grey,
Hushed, and
Patiently waiting –
Waiting for the Sky
To breathe,
Waiting for the Sun
To set,
Waiting for the dark
To rise.

And in that moment,
Stripped of disguise,
Returning its grey cloak
To the Sky,
The Moon would reclaim
Its place,
A harbinger of light,
Clearing our vision
In the cool of the night.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Slip of the Tongue


The scene was set.
It was perfect.
You were perfect.
Words flowed from your lips
Like a well-rehearsed script.
You needed no direction-
The master himself was at work.
I tried to follow suit,
But my verses were misaligned,
My rhythm, off-beat.
My words slipped onto the floor
And I watched Time sweep
Them away –
There could be no retraction.
Anxious now,
I tried to squeeze
Volumes through my eyes,
Certain that they reflected
The stars in your face.
I hoped that
Despite my awkward tongue,
You would understand,
That you would see
How I felt
Each time you smiled at me.

Friday, July 20, 2012

A Coin for Charon


At the river’s edge,
I sought you out,
Charon.
Once a myth,
I found you true
In the deathly mist.
I was ready
To pay the toll,
To ride your ferry
Away from this purgatory.
But alas, my obolus
I had left behind.
I searched for a coin,
But neither silver nor gold
Did I find.
My soul, in anguish,
It wished to be free.
I pleaded that you have
Mercy on me.
Your eyes were coal,
They scorched my mind
Until in a blinded haze,
The answer I saw.
My heart.
I offered it now,
And you took it,
With your withered hands,
As it burned with
Innocent blood,
And passion
It wept onto
The dock as I left.
My tears flowed with the river
As you rowed me away,
For I knew,
Once on the other side,
You would not stay.

Untitled- on the shooting at the Batman film

I couldn’t see your face,
But I could tell your eyes were empty
As you turned and pointed at me.

You didn’t know me.
I was a good girl.
I had done right by my parents,
Done right by God,
Done right by me.
I was smart,
I could be stupid,
I was strong,
I could be sensitive,
I was passionate,
I could pretend to be indifferent,
But mostly,
I loved.

So why me?

I didn’t have time to ask
As I felt the metal pierce my skin.

I closed my eyes and shed a tear.
One for my mother-
No one would know a greater sorrow.
Another came for my father
Whose rage would turn his world
Upside-down.
Another after that for my sister,
Who would wish it had been her.
And a last one, for you,
Because although my fate was tragic,
Yours would be far worse.

I was a good friend.
I could have been yours.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Electric Chair


The room is dark
And the air around me is musty.
Seated,
I feel wood beneath me
Forcing my body to conform.
Discomfort sets in as my wrists
Struggle against iron shackles.
I cry for help,
But my tongue is tied.
My eyes search the room,
If it is a room,
For sign of life.
My fingers stretch
Beyond their strength,
Reaching for something,
Anything.
I hear a footstep –
I peer into the darkness
With all my might.
I hear your voice,
A Siren’s call.
Every one of my muscles twitches
To the sound,
Every molecule in my body
Bends and twists.
I hear a switch,
A signal sound,
And the molecules split,
The atoms race.
A light flashes.
I see you,
Holding my life
In your hands,
And then I’m gone.

Bolts and Jolts


The Sky lit up,
And for half a second
There was Hope.
But the Sky closed
Her eyes
And let loose her tears.
The storm raged on
And the light flickered.

Every drop bled into me
Until I was no longer myself.
I surrendered to her.
I was drenched with Fury,
Fast losing Hope to blindness.

Darkness took over and
I staggered around the walls
In my mind,
Bumping into corners,
Lost in a labyrinth of
Self-pity, of self-doubt,
Bereft of vision,
Bereft of discernment.

As my skin inhaled each drop,
Paranoia tingled through
My pores.
The Shadows that had strangled Hope
Had come to hunt me.

I stopped.
I hid.
I waited.
I waited for the Sky
To open her eyes,
To light up,
If not with Hope,
Then with Fear.

I waited.
She opened.
They came.
I attacked. 

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Kryptonite


Your face was kind,
Your lips, sweet,
But your eyes,
They were merciless.

Against such kryptonite
I was helpless;
They disarmed me.

They burned through
My thoughts
And blurred my vision,

Shot bullets
That riddled my body
And left me still.

Paralyzed,
I tried to cry out,
But my lips
Obeyed a new master.


Monday, July 16, 2012

Jump


Jump,
You gently entreated.
I had already jumped,
But this time, I looked down.
My heart pumped fear to my mind,
And it seized me.
My thoughts were infected with self-doubt,
And I struggled between your voice
And the one in my head,
Between my body
And my conflicted mind.
I stumbled backward
As doubt darkened
The light you had thrown
Across my path.
I felt the ground beneath my feet,
Hardened by familiarity.
Fear dissipated, and
Blood rushed to my heart,
Bringing with it the heat of your words.
And the only voice left in my head
Was yours.
Jump.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

The Sun will Rise Again


You tell me not to worry,
To smile, be happy,
Even when the skies are grey
And you’ve gone away.

You tell me to have faith,
To stand up, be brave,
Even under April’s rain
That stopped, only to pour again.

You tell me to be patient and wise,
To wait for the Sun to rise,
Because when his rays shine,
You’ll be back, you’ll be mine.

And so, under the darkened sky,
When my tears began to dry,
I sought solace in another light,
In the stars you left me in the night.

Doubt at the End of the Tunnel


They told me
There was light
At the end of the tunnel.
But they did not tell me
Where the light would lead.
Blindly I walked,
My fingers grasping at the wall,
Trying to find my way.
They did not tell me
That the tunnel split in three.
I took a guess.
I closed my eyes.
I could almost see the light.
“Up or down?”
“Excuse me?”
“Are you going up or down?”
I’ll go wherever this thing takes me.

Friday, July 6, 2012

East or West


She stood at a crossroads
Split between East and West,
While the setting Sun made way
For the Stars at the Moon’s behest.
But the North Star would not help
Her decide which way to go,
So she stood there waiting
For Napoleon, waiting for Godot.
The night she spent on the dusty path,
Torn in self-contemplation,
Striving to discern through the darkened night,
Which road would lead to her soul’s exaltation.
But neither Napoleon emerged,
Nor messenger appeared,
And so she was left to her own judgment,
As she had always feared.
To the East, she thought,
She would face the light,
And leave the unknown darkness
Behind in the night.
Thus, when he rose,
She walked toward the Sun,
Not knowing the next day
Rode westward her Napoleon.