Paper Angel

tear my mind and rend my soul
light dancing feet 'round the maypole
tired little troubles, dingy and gray
carve a niche in worlds of clay

screaming furies of heaven above
promises of lust, hate, and love
tortured contours eased in place
mar the eternity of the face

And oft forgotten the remembered past
speaks of what has been, come at last
precious gold of new found leaf
innocent of it's coming grief

unspoiled growth, unshattered dreams
what isn't is, or so it seems
and through it all, mind to mind,
is passed the creation of it's kind

Premonitions

What words are there within me
what dreams dwell within my head
what wind blows to set me free
what visions come upon me in my bed
in the darkness of my mind
I travel the realms of sights unseen
I hunt the golden hind
and create worlds never seen
but once from a deep dank pit
darkness comes like some unholy birth
perverting what imagination lit
tarnishing things of worth
and though the sun banish
them, they are slow to vanish

'Silent clacked the rosary'

A word of explanation: This is a poem that I am constructing.  I say constructing, as I am working at it to get it to follow a plan or blueprint. The meter and rhyme and even the order of the lines changes as the poem nears completion. I thank the Book Club for all their hard work and support in this endeavor. Their suggestions, advice, and critiques are invaluable in this process.
This poem is inspired by a work that will be named later, and aside from the inspiration any semblance to the other work is currently coincidental. I do not seek to retell the story of the other work, nor give it a new spin, but rather pick-up where the author left off, and honor the author in some small way with my words.
Any suggestions, opinions, and ideas are welcome. Thank you.

As the poem now stands:


1.  silent clacked the rosary upon his fettered wrist
2.          battered bloody by the sea they sailed into the mist
3.  slinking through the morning gloom, the darkest part of day
4.          seeking to escape their doom, the good ship sailed away
5.  Swigging droughts from Titan's cup, the Devil threw the dice
6.          and fostered within the Captain's breast, a more sinister self-indulgent vice
7.  the sweet young maid of secret charm, fostered by the night
8.          came unbidden to his arm, and dwelt within his sight
9.  boiling, churning, within his heart, the burning lusts of man
10.          the Devil's demons for their part, valiantly worked the fan
11.  the wise old boson saw the harm, and the trouble that would come
12.          should the young maid give way to charm, and drink of Cupid's venom
13.  a poor young Father knelt by them, then blest 'n set 'em free
14.          And eulogized with mourning hymn their hard-won victory
15.  the battle had raged long 'n hard, their lives for pirate's gold
16.          … 

Shadows of heartbreak

Shadows of heartbreak
from chances untaken
dance in my mind
in the quiet of night 

Pains of remorse
from love unexpected
burns my cheeks
hidden by the rain 

Shadows of heartbreak
Pains of remorse
Agony, tears, and sadness
consume my day 

If only courage had
lived within me
I would have been your
Lancelot 

Shadows of heartbreak
from chances untaken
tear at my soul
in the still of the night 

Pains of remorse
what could have been...
what could have been...

Shattered dreams and broken wings

Shattered dreams and broken wings
the whole world 's comin' down on me
broken glass and torn hopes
bloody oblivion, set me free!
battle weary and time worn
life itself steals my breath
faltered heartbeats and stumbled steps
fighting slowly the embrace of death

Shattered dreams and broken wings...

fighting slowly the embrace of death
life itself steals my breath
bloody oblivion, set me free!
the whole world 's comin' down on me

Shattered dreams and broken wings...

Splice the words

Spite and venom, demon's tongue!
Evil hateful cutting words.
Cries for solace gone unheard.
In your anger and your malice
you place yourself in ivory palace
never thinking how it's made
you with your heart of jade.
You scoff, you scorn, you kick, you scream
you rip asunder and break the dream.
You break my arm. You twist my limb.
Stealing breath from her and him.
And now you would reign supreme,
or so it does ever seem.
But this one thing you have not learned,
power can't be taken, it must be earned.
Split the hairs, splice the words
come back for seconds or even thirds.
But this I tell you and tell you true,
this dream will never be ruled by you.

Only a Moment

Saul rested his spear across his lap. It had been a long night and promised to be a long morning. He and the other five guards had been sitting around a small campfire for what seemed to be forever. The area was picturesque, but still unnerving. It may have been called a garden, but Saul knew it for what it was; a graveyard.

"Saul, any movement?" Brutus asked, then burst out laughing. He was enjoying this assignment. There was very little risk; just sitting and watching.

Saul smiled. "Naw, the only things around here are Hades' leftovers."  The locals tended to avoid graveyards like lepers. If they would only accept the gods, they'd know the truth of things. "You really think this guy's henchmen are coming for him?"

"Those cowards?" Nero, Saul's commander, said. "They didn't even try to stop his execution. They haven't the guts to try and steal his body. Especially with us here!"

This inspired a round of laughter. Nero managed to get the other three guards involved in a game of dice, leaving Brutus and Saul to themselves.

"Did you follow his career?" Saul asked.

"No, I'm not much for politics and unholy religions," Brutus said. His smile was more or less a permanent feature. "Still, I did notice that he caused quite the ruckus. Didn't get him anywhere though, did it?"

"Only to the hands of Hades." Saul knuckled his back. "Sky's gray, sun will rise soon."

"That's a relief! We can go home soon, then. I heard that if they don't strike by dawn they weren't going to."

"We'll see." Saul went quite. It would be nice to see his wife and daughter again. His daughter had been born only a few days before, and Saul couldn't get enough of drinking in the site of her.

"I think I see the sun," Brutus said. He was shading his eyes and looking east. Yet oddly more light seemed to be coming from behind him.

Saul turned quickly to see what was causing this new light. His shout, meant as a warning to the others, became a squeak. He heard the rattle of dice and the conversation behind him die away. Before him, Saul saw two gloriously white beings descending from the sky. Saul's knees began to shake.

The two figures stepped onto the ground, and one turned to look at the guards. He was an excruciatingly beautiful man. In the figure's eyes Saul saw how weak he was compared to him; how weak all the guards were. There was nothing they could do to stop these figures and anything they did do would guarantee their destruction.

Behind him, Saul heard spears hitting the ground and feet pounding up the dirt path. The others had fled. He was alone. Without thinking, Saul turned and fled, but only went a few feet before tripping and crashing into some bushes.

He heard stone grating on stone. Intense curiosity overwhelmed him, and Saul peeked out of the bushes. The two men were opening the grave!  Saul watched the two maneuver the capstone out of the way with the ease of a man lifting a loaf of bread. It had taken all six of the guards and an hour of strenuous effort to place it. Saul went numb. Men such as these could have torn the guards to pieces had they wished.

With the capstone out of the way, one of the figures ducked into the crypt. He emerged moments later supporting a third man. While Saul hadn't seen the corpse he had been guarding, he did know that only one man was buried in there. He could see how exhausted and beaten this new man was, yet the others deferred to him and treated him as a one might a king newly risen from a sick bed.

The kingly man supported by the two stronger figures, the three began to rise. For a brief moment, Saul's and kingly man's eyes met. At that moment, Saul lost his fear. He knew that this king was looking out for him. Soon the three were lost to sight.

Saul crept out of the bushes. He knew he should go and find his fellows, but for some reason he just wanted to go home and hold his daughter and wife close. He wanted them to feel what he felt in that moment.