A Reflex
Your eyes go white—they look backwards to see
The inside of your skull. Is it empty?
Your head caves into your neck—it's spinning,
Floating away simultaneously.
You blink, breathing little—the air's thinning.
A cold wind blows your body—then trembling—
And sweat freezes to your raw, thawing skin.
The ice will crack. Fractures are impending.
Fractal auras of scotoma sink it,
Blotching patches of sight. Shadows begin
To flash as your bones melt and drop. You've left
Yourself, so your chest clenches to open.
The soul and the self split into a cleft—
With amnesiac thoughts—and you're bereft
Of voluntary movements. You're not deft
With your hands—gestures stolen from their theft.
poem by Tim Stensloff
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Bonescraper
There is no future for us to suture
Your life ill-fated, beat down and hated
Shot in the head, walking undead
Numb to the world, around your head
Rip my skin from my bone, I won't bleed
Rip my heart from my chest, I won't scream
Hide in the shadows, deep black, and hollow
Empty void of light cuts clean, like a knife
Damaged and torn, punctured by thorns
I've felt nothing since I was born
Rip my skins from my bones, I won't bleed
Rip my heart from my chest, I won't scream
My flesh <-> Your flesh
Your eyes <-> My sight
My pain <-> Your shame
We are the same ...
Rip my skin from my bones, I won't bleed
Rip my heart from my chest, I won't scream
Rip my skin ...
song performed by by Fear Factory
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Arriving At The Island... Alone
the boat takes you to the island
the only person there
is you,
the coconut trees rise to the sky
and the white sand spreads
there is a bed
and blanket
and pillow and the glass of wind
and you embrace the body of the sea
and they
who think that you better be left alone
as you like it
have long left everything there
and you put your body down
clothes on the white sands
skin on the tree
and bones under the rocky shorelines
you close your eyes
and begin to fly away
into the abyss of
solitude.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Puargatory
Thinking of an age old dream,
Places I have never seen.
Fantasies lived times before,
I split my brain, melt through the floor.
Over clouds my mind will fly,
Forever now I can't think why,
My body tries to leave my soul,
Is it me? I just don't know.
Memories rising from the past,
The future shadows overcast.
Something's clutching at my head,
Through the darkness I'll be led.
Oh another time, another place,
Oh well another smile on another face.
When you see me floating up beside you,
You get the feeling that all my love's inside of you.
CHORUS
Please take me away,
Take me away,
So far away.
Repeat
song performed by by Iron Maiden
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Split Open & Melt
In the morning I pack up my gear
And toss it in my carryall
Run the wide load to the lip
And watch the big core crack and glow
In the evening I undo my belt
Split open and melt
I wake up on my stomach
With my face between my hands
And crawl along the floor toward the doorway
Jumping to my feet
I try to put myself together
But I feel it in my knees
And the room begins to spin
And I slip and bump my head and raise a welt
Split open and melt
We breathe deep
In a steam dream
And plunge below the water line
Down, down, down
Between beams
To the gloom room
Among the seaweed and the slime
Down, down, down
Melt
song performed by by Phish
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Split Open And Melt
In the morning I pack up my gear
and toss it in my carryall
Run the wide load to the lip
and watch the big core crack and glow
In the evening I undo my belt
Split open and melt
I wake up on my stomach
with my face between my hands
and crawl along the floor toward the doorway
Jumping to my feet
I try to put myself together
but I feel it in my knees
and the room begins to spin
and I slip and bump my head and raise a welt
Split open and melt
We breathe deep
in a steam dream
and plunge below the water line
down, down, down
between beams
to the gloom room
among the seaweed and the slime
down, down, down
Melt
song performed by by Phish
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Patches Of
patches of sunlight,
patches of clouds.
patches of Jesus,
patches of doubt.
patches of joy,
patches of pain.
patches of hope,
patches of strain.
patches of tomorrow,
patches of today.
patches of forever,
patches of 'cant stay'!
patches of loving,
patches of cold.
patches of youth,
patches of old.
patches of bravery.
patches of fear.
patches of happiness,
patches of tears.
patches of life,
patches of death.
patches of trying
with your last breath!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Visual Snow
My sight fills with television static.
I disconnect as my vision impairs.
The blue field debris becomes erratic.
Faint, shaking particles stipple the air.
They grow heavier as my breathing thins,
And my bones melt, osmosing through my skin.
I feel my muscles slowly liquefy.
Sweat bathes my brow. I sink to petrify
Where I stand—where the sound has panned away.
I hear a muffled chorus hum beside me.
A high-pitched tone drones almost endlessly.
My thoughts as they were scramble and decay.
I'm disoriented, and my loss grows
Beneath falling mounds of visual snow.
poem by Tim Stensloff
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Do Not Worry
Take your right hand,
Palm facing up,
And line your fingers
With your teeth.
Hold firmly onto the roof of your mouth.
Do the same with your left hand,
But grip your chin.
Move your hands in opposite directions
Until you hear your jaw cracking
Against the pressure
You put yourself through.
Let your face relax
Back into place.
Let your elastic skin
Rubber-band back into the folds
Sagging over the shadows on your face.
Let it cover your wrinkles
And worry lines.
Then, try again.
Try to unfold your head.
Open it like a book.
Expose your throat to the wind
To let it blow the words
You couldn't speak away.
Split your lips at the seams,
So that a smile may spread its way
Across your rigid cheeks.
Do not worry when your skull
Whacks against your back
And ricochets into the air.
Do not worry when your jaw
Slaps and swings at your chest
By the light current of the breeze.
Do not worry when your blood
Spills all over,
Drenching the dirty ground
And the eyes of everyone
As they watch you
Pull yourself apart.
Do not worry.
poem by Tim Stensloff
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As I Wait For For You
and then our minds met at a point
of convergence
i waited for you in a room without a number
a place without a name
a space where only us know what & how to fill
i am naked
you want the whole truth and so i am naked
in this room without a number, a place without a name
a space, where only our self-manifested emptiness know how & what to fill
when you arrive do not call my name
be so soft and gentle with your feet
do not even say your name as
i have also left my name somewhere else
and it is only i who knows it
i lose my identity
that is how i want to spend my short moment with you
i am naked
i only have my face, my skin and my flesh my bones my whole body
not my soul
do not knock
just push the door
it is left open throughout the nights of my waiting
i have intended it that way
so when you arrive and i am still asleep with my dreams and desires
of you
do not disturb the silence and sweetness of my sleep
just whisper your desire for love so sweet to my ears
touch the surfaces of my skin and caress with your soft fingers the smooth lines of my face
place your head just beside my tight chest
for there you shall hear the sounds of all my desires
and then my love we begin the sharing of our hidden truths
we shall dance in our nakedness
we shall make love real
we shall open the shutters of this closed window
we let the slits of light from outside the night get inside us and put some
warmth on the empty pores of our skins
we bring light to the darkness of our lives
we put fire to those eyes that refuse to close and die
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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As the cold wind blows
As the cold wind blows
I smile and laugh
As the cold wind blows
Im warm and safe
As the cold wind blows
The fire inside is hot
As the cold wind blows
My love is not for naught
As the cold wind blows
My love keeps me warm
As the cold wind blows
I feel only this love
Warming me making me
The man I am today
As the cold wind blows
I know soon this cold wind will blow away.
poem by Troy Nichols
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Inside The Cave
we are witness to the shadows in the cave.
Not to be mislead we touch each others' hands.
When we open our eyes we become more confused.
There are more shadows born when we begin to speak.
We are always patient. We imagine soon, always, the
soon in the shadows. Light created more shadows.
We fear it sometimes. We begin to mistrust it.
We are still inside this cave with all the shadows
of ourselves. We do not like to move, we are mocked
We are imitated by our shadows inside the cave.
Tomorrow is the exit. We become friends of the Light.
Then we become free.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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First Time
Your hands run over my breast
You slide into me as my body welcomes you as a guest
Your body moves as mine follows the steady pace
As your body bulids it becomes a race.
My mind fills with this lust, this power
It shall not let me cower
As the slow beat of music plays
I think of how how this memmory shall stay,
In my soul, in my heart.
My body waits for the feelings to start.
As reality hits I remember this is my first
But now the need for more fills my heart with it's thirst
You move faster, and the pain fills my veins, my blood
The pain quickly lessons as my thoughts turn to mud
Here and now is all that matters, all I seak
My body arches as we reach the peak.
Your movements start to slow
Making movements a steady flow
You retreat from my body yet remain in my grasp
As our breaths turn to steady gasps.
You smile as you lay next to me
And now the whole of you I see
I smile back as your lips press against my hair
I meet your lips with mine with passion with care.
I close my eyes to replay the moment over again
And now my true life will begin
My head lay on your chest
My eyes filled with you, this feeling is the best
I close my eyes again to sleep.
For tomorrowI will weep.
But now I sleep in your arms, in your mind
This night was so calm, so kind
As your arms pass over me one last time
So slow, so soft for you know this is my first time
You watch me as I sleep, and ask yourself if I left what would you do
So you kiss me once more and whisper 'I love you'
poem by Bethany Maxwell
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Untitled Unfinished (The Flame That Lights Your Soul)
Take a look to the horizon
the moon is rising fast
through silhouettes and shadows
the hills and trees have cast.
Their empty branches rustle;
the autumn wind blows cold
and the stars begin to flicker
like the flame that lights your soul
poem by Jason Cline
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Climbing Up The Walls (Zero 7 Mix)
I am the key to the lock in your house
that keeps your toys in the basement,
and if you get too far inside
you'll only see my reflection.
See her face when she sleeps tonight,
I am the pick in the ice,
do not cry out or hit the alarm,
we are we're friends till we die.
And either way you turn I'll be there,
open up your skull, I'll be there
climbing up the walls.
It's always best when the light is off,
it's always better on the outside,
in the crack of your wanting smile,
fifteen blows to the skull.
So tuck the kids in safe tonight,
and shut the eyes in the cupboard.
do not cry out or hit the alarm,
you'll get the loneliest feeling
that either way you turn I'll be there,
open up your skull, I'll be there
climbing up the walls.
Climbing up the walls.
Climbing up the walls
song performed by by Radiohead
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Stagger Mountain Tragedy
I was born on stagger mountain in the sunshine and the snow
And leavin was the first mistake I made;
But I hungered for the shadows in the valley down below
And the girl that danced the tune the devil played.
Her smile was like the blindin light of sunshine on the snow
And the flashin of her hair was black as sin.
And her body set the smokes of hell a-boilin in my skull
When the fiddle of the devil made her spin.
Morning sunshine [sunshine] high on the mountain,
Where the air is pure and cold;
But theres darkness in the shadows
In the canyons of my soul.
The lantern cast a shadow like a demon on the wall
And the naked sweat was breathin on her skin;
Then the room was spinning closer as her clothes began to fall
And the eagle started screamin in my brain;
Then I saw the laughin dagger and I heard the devil scream
And her bleeding heart was beating in my hand.
Then the darkness blew away and I was standin by a tree
With a hanging rope a-danglin from a limb.
Morning sunshine [sunshine] high on the mountain,
Where the air is pure and cold;
But theres darkness in the shadows
In the canyons of my soul.
song performed by by Kris Kristofferson
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Absence
My cup is empty to-night,
Cold and dry are its sides,
Chilled by the wind from the open window.
Empty and void, it sparkles white in the moonlight.
The room is filled with the strange scent
Of wistaria blossoms.
They sway in the moon's radiance
And tap against the wall.
But the cup of my heart is still,
And cold, and empty.
When you come, it brims
Red and trembling with blood,
Heart's blood for your drinking;
To fill your mouth with love
And the bitter-sweet taste of a soul.
poem by Amy Lowell
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Garadh
FOR the poor body that I own
I could weep many a tear:
The days have stolen flesh and bone,
And left a changeling here.
Four feeble bones are left to me,
And the basket of my breast,
And I am mean and ugly now
As the scald flung from the nest.
The briars drag me at the knee,
The brambles go within,
And often do I feel him turn,
The old man in my skin.
The strength is carded from my bones,
The swiftness drained from me,
And all the living thoughts I had
Are like far ships at sea!
poem by Padraic Colum
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Occupy Oakland
Shouts in the night, chanting
streets, red streams, white
gas seeping through your skin,
your ears exploding with flash-bang
shells landing past the trembling camera
to where he lies, fallen Marine, wide eyed, stunned,
skull-split victim of this American night.
Just follow their money
to the headwaters of their greed
and you will see how they rage
against your need
until, at last,
it's your blood
they wish
to drink.
poem by Steven Federle
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And Death Shall Have No Dominion
And death shall have no dominion.
Dead man naked they shall be one
With the man in the wind and the west moon;
When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone,
They shall have stars at elbow and foot;
Though they go mad they shall be sane,
Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again;
Though lovers be lost love shall not;
And death shall have no dominion.
And death shall have no dominion.
Under the windings of the sea
They lying long shall not die windily;
Twisting on racks when sinews give way,
Strapped to a wheel, yet they shall not break;
Faith in their hands shall snap in two,
And the unicorn evils run them through;
Split all ends up they shan't crack;
And death shall have no dominion.
And death shall have no dominion.
No more may gulls cry at their ears
Or waves break loud on the seashores;
Where blew a flower may a flower no more
Lift its head to the blows of the rain;
Though they be mad and dead as nails,
Heads of the characters hammer through daisies;
Break in the sun till the sun breaks down,
And death shall have no dominion.
poem by Dylan Thomas
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The Abyss
The darkness reaches out to me and gently caresses
The abyss is creeping up on me
The emptiness strokes my arms in a comforting manner
I know its arms like an old lover
It kisses my cheek in a butterfly manner
It muzzles my neck like a puppy
Its arms hold me from behind
I’ve been given this depression many times
As it gently holds me I try to leave its arms
But its lover’s arms have turned to restraints
Its arms lock my arms to my stomach, ties its legs around mine
My body is trapped, I can’t move but I beg it to stop
It doesn’t stop, its tight grip burns but the pain is pleasurable
Its head pushes into my neck and its mouth starts to open
Its teeth grips my neck and it bites as I scream
All that makes me real pours out of my veins, into its mouth
My love, my joy, my hope, my pain, my fears - all drained away
When there is nothing left the abyss replaces me with itself
As I feel it take me over my fearful screams turns to quiet peace
The abyss takes me over as it flows down my blue veins, freezes them.
It freezes my emotions, it freezes my soul, it freezes my resistance
It finally reaches my heart and turns it ice-cold until I can love no more
The quiet depression welcomes me like a homecoming
It swoops me into its arms and carries me down into its deep dark hole
Where it makes me its queen and we reside in the darkness together
We are the outcasts, we are the unloved, we are the ones you fear
Cold and lonely is where we stand; the abyss and I are hand in hand
poem by Lenore Lee
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