a great howling surrounds me
the winds whip against my jet feathers
my talons grip the branch below me
so tenuous my grasp
rain beats on me, a constant staccato
a machine gun against my body
a storm that has no natural cause
a storm set upon me my myself
i am the agent of my own demise,
if i fail to keep my grip.
how can you all just sit there?
a mute look on your face!
do we not walk the same path?
my anger grows with every second!
then i see your eyes...
i see into your soul
reflected in them is the same struggle
the same storm
hidden behind your eyes
covered by the mask you wear
the same mask i share
the rage surrounds me
my limbs set aquiver
my vision starts to blacken
a fire runs through my veins
madness stands before me
to sleep offers respite,
if only i would join the hollow men
temptations of the world surround me
so much to choose from
so shiney
so sparklie
but temptations of the world distract me
i will take what i must
written into my contract,
i must partake of it's treasures
my body and soul in bondage to a new god
a price i pay to stay on the path
the diety Plutonium
with new tricks
new magicks
magicks to keep my body together
tricks to keep my legs strong,
that i may keep on down the path
while i have a contract to keep my hands,
my legs, my face, my breath
i have no such assuraces about my soul.
with my own broken hands
did i piece it together
with my faith and wisdom
did i glue each piece in place
shattered to the winds it was
my soul laid bare
for me to be reborn
the Lady helped me put it back in place
the Lady sang for me
songs of life,
of experience,
of existance.
and i knew that hers was the shining path
so many temptations of the spirit
so many guarantees
if only i will give in to their light
if only i will speak their words
if only i will sing their songs
a refuge from the storm
to break it's frigid cold
to shield me from it's howling wind
to protect me from the driving rain
but in my heart i know
they offer not what i need
their words are hollow
their spirits reek of the lacking
they walk hand in hand with the skins
so few are the points of light
so rare the gems of wisdom
among the words of the hollow men
to burn away the chaff
to clear away the weeds,
that choke the soul
that hold back the spirit
often one of the hardest decisions to make.
knowledge ceases to be wisdom
if it's use is long past
what use has the man for a cave,
once he learns the secrets of carpentry?
the stories that put me to bed
as a child
these things do nothing to comfort me now
i cast aside all that i was
i leave behind my words that offer nothing
i put away all i learned,
but that teaches me not
but i never forget
for one day i may come full circle
and take up what i left behind
so many are the temptations of the flesh
i could lose myself so easily
the rapture of sex
the ecstacy of drugs
the union of love...
these most of all are hardest to put behind me
could i weather two storms?
could another handle the demons i wrestle?
perhaps.
but i will not use what little time i have
waiting for one to share my path
i have fallen by the wayside in the past
drawn by such sweetness
i can not, will not walk another's path for them
i expect no more from another
it has been said,
"precious things lead one astray.
therefore the sage is lead by what he feels
not what he sees.
he lets go of that, and chooses this."
these are words that are easy to understand
but hard to follow.
they are the path i choose.
i release my grip on the branch
i spread my wings
i enter the storm
to curl up, to hide from it's ferocity
is to never proceed
i called the storm
i am the agent of my own harrowing
with glee i sing my song
with joy i answer her call.