the solitary reaper. (incomplete)

standing still on a solitary hill

in purgatory amidst heaven and hell 

i was never coming down 

i can still hear the sounds

made by dying men

i was not brave enough

to find out love was war

and war was pain

trapped remembering unhappy

far off things

the soldier crawled up the hill

his uniform soaked

his eyes certain, still 

he said stand up

and walk to the edge

look around

take in the moment

this blue sky

the breeze that is blowing

and all that it has seen

empires rise

and better men than us

have failed

to stand the test of time

there's no place for our hubris at all

so no, the fight’s not done

confessed it made him scared

the thought of the gauntlet left to be run

he said tough, no point in backing down

no sense in sitting on the sidelines 

until the clock’s run out

time’s up

and it’s over

and you’re out

the poet.

i knew a boy who could make you weep

with a handful of words shaped into poetry

his imagery sharp and achingly sweet

the prose simple, stark, and clean

his life, it was troubled, but his conviction pristine

when i met him on the sidewalk of that empty street

he was so sad, but content

thinking of how to make a difference

through his words and with his mind 

the perfect mix of raw and refined

he said i choose this hurt

i choose this pain

choose this sadness that burns and takes my breath away

so keep your smiles

and redirect your light

i think i'm going to walk this road a few more miles

i want to feel

the weight of the world

watch the tragedy and the comedy unfurl

i will learn how to speak

to people's souls

and they will remember the poet long after the man
he is gone

fool.

he says i'm too bad to be good for you
but i still like the smell of your perfume
your heart is naked, bared, and i like the view
darling, you don't leave because you're such a fool

fool, to fall for you
fool, to fall for you

he says i, i don't need to apologize
i never fed you promises or empty lies
and if the truth it trickles from your eyes
darling, even though i sympathize

carry, carry on
carry, carry on

somehow find a way to justify
the bruises on your soul and in your eyes
but i'm not fooling anyone, am i?
carry on,
i'll be alright

"we have lost even this twilight."

"i remembered you with my soul clenched
in that sadness of mine that you know."

no more lies.

in shadows thrown by yellow lights
the speakers pound and the bodies writhe
i couldn't name all the places i've been
breathing cigarette smoke and a thousand sins
wondering if i, i could have lost my way...

sink into a chair at the back of the room
blinded by a sense of doom
a whisper of doubt run up my spine
shoots through the haze into my mind
i'm wondering if i, i could have lost my way
led astray... 

by all of the
bright lights 
on the way down
and the consequences of that now 
are these electric days in a carefree daze
surrounded by a crowd but there's no meaning
i'm feeling out of control, i don't know what to think
except i'm standing at the crossroads
of a story etched in indelible ink
and in ten years 
i will be right here
still blind

well i want more from the world
it's time for me to wake up
and face what's in my soul
the fickle girl with the promising eyes
a dreamer afraid to even try
an optimist with a cynical smile
but no more lies
no more lies
no more lies
no more lies
yeah (x4)

and the fear of failing made me freeze
so i trembled when he set me free
and promised that he'd hold my hand
oh when everything else came to an end
but i wonder if i, i could have lost my way
led astray...

as he showed me the
bright lights
on the way down
and the consequences of that now
are these carefree days in a summer haze
the sun on my back but i'm still
so cold, and all alone
and i can't hide from all the people i know
and the right things, the expected dreams
how life goes by every time i blink
and i'm back there
in that same chair
still blind

but i want more from the world
it's time for me to wake up
and face what's in my soul
the fickle girl with the promising eyes
the dreamer with a careful life
an optimist with a cynical smile
but no more lies
no more lies
no more lies
no more lies
yeah

(with a smile on your face and love in your heart)

yeah

(as the world fades away we’ll dance in the dark)

yeah

(as the skylines come crumbling down)

yeah

(the lights go out and the warnings sound)

yeah
(our dark days are over now, we tell)

(no more lies

no more lies)

yeah

(no more lies

no more lies)

the poet (broken).

i saw him break like that glass of wine 
all his happiness fall to the pine 
and disappear into the dark between the boards 
until all that was left was the stain 
of who he'd been, smeared red like paint 
she said i am so sorry 
and when she turned to go 
her heel smashed the glass to shards 
i picked the pieces up and tried, oh i tried 
to put them together just right 
the edges smooth, perfectly aligned 
but when we sat on the porch looking into the night 
he said there is nothing here that needs mending
i promise you that i will write my own endings 
see i am fine, i am fine, oh no, i am glad 
this is the best lesson that i have ever had
so if he was never quite the same 
no more poetry and simple leaps of faith
just sharp edges and a pretty face  
well there's nothing anyone can really say 
but he says i, 
i have learned how to let go 
to push my sadness outside 
and latch the door 
i like how it feels 
to feel nothing at all
to never expect anything more

careful (this summer will never end).

we were sixteen
and the world was new
so certain all our dreams
were going to come true
i was trying
to figure out who i was
a dreamer with a careful life
and all the reasons not to love

we, we didn't speak of the paths we'd walked
he said you,
you don't gotta be so

careful, careful, careful
i'm not going to hurt you
i just want to be your friend
but you're so
careful, careful, careful
i am not going to hurt you
i just want to be your friend
and pretend
this summer will never end

so we sat close
under a blazing sun
with no more walls to be built
and no more battles to be won
and i was tired
of being who i was
a dreamer with a careful life
and all the reasons not to love

we, we didn't speak of how we'd hurt before
he said you,
you don't gotta be this

careful, careful, careful
i'm not going to hurt you
i, i just want to be your friend
but you're so
careful, careful, careful
i am not going to hurt you
i just want to be your friend
could we pretend
this summer will never end

you're so
careful, careful, careful
i'm not going to hurt you
i, i just want to be your friend
but you're so
careful, careful, careful
i am not going to hurt you
see i, i just want to be your friend
and pretend
this summer will never end