Shade 75: Complacentsea

Take our hand and carry us on
To the crystal blue waters of Babylon
Drink so deep and worry is gone
No wants no needs no self alone
Body relax the spirit has flown
Beneath the light of golden dawn
No wind of thought no breeze is blown
Us and all can live as one

Shade 74: In The Abandoned Tunnels

What is here that’s calling?
Whispering through the night
Telling us some secret
Man keeps locked inside

What is here so tempting?
A beacon through the clouds
Things we weren't searching for
Longing to be found

The scratching in the darkness show true
We are sinners too
We are sinners too

[From the streets above]
Alone our bodies are nothing
Alone our thoughts are nothing
But we share one soul and we build one fate
Through the glory of our brothers and the mercy of the State

What is here that beckons?
Like mystery in the dark
Things we fear forbidden
Tugging at our heart

Stay we hear your calling
With our candle's tiny flame
We won't ignore your calling
You speak to us by name
You speak to us by name

Shade 73: Waning Gold of Summer

The summers ending once again
Though not at all too slow.
The time that we all knew would come
Has come and I must go.
Soon we must be on our way
But we shall meet again
To raise a glass another day.
Farewell, my friends, till then.

Shade 72: New July

I hear the golden ringing bells
Far atop the summer hill
Prosperity and joy and love
Begin my life to fill
The air is warm the trees are thick
Hatchling birds take wing
The lady who has won my heart
Contently wears my ring

Shade 71: Reverence

Do not tell me you are sorry
Do not tell me you repent
Do not plead that you deserve salvation from that which you lament
No, you are on your own now
You claimed that you could handle
You took for granted of your power, now you sit in shambles
The world was ever at your feet
With confidence you boasted long
Have you found humility in finding you were wrong
I take back from you your courage
Your ambition, though it shone
What have you come to understand now that you bask alone
Do you now take heed of my design
Though filled with insecurity
And did you find that at your age there still lurks immaturity

Shade 70: Green the Hour of Spring

Revive O green to live again
And end your lengthy sleep
Through the barren valleys let
Your emerald color sweep
The winds have shifted route again
The gentle zephyrs flower
The lily-white of yester draws
For green it is your hour

Shade 69: Karma

So delicate a balance hangs
A wispy thin of air
Between soft peace and sorrow pangs
‘tween elation and despair
The pendulum swings so temper thoughts
And walk with cautious trend
For though your wealth doth hit the top
Your health will hit the other end

Shade 68: What Grows Yonder

You know you shouldn’t eat me
And regret it when you do
But I’m succulent and juicy to the eye
And you think of all the fun you’ll have
When you’re full and so content
So you’ll take me and you’ll bake me in a pie
And you’ll savor every little bite
Until the evidence is gone
And I’m a memory in your scrambled brain
That’s when you remember
All the things you should have done
And you swear you’ll never take a bite again

Shade 67: Smoke and Mirrors

Don’t sit near this fence and persist on peaking through
Just cause curiosity lures you with its gleam
For on this side there is anything that you could ever want
And the pastures there aren’t as lush as they may seem
Oh I know you won’t believe me and eventually you’ll cross
But I feel that it is something must be said
There’s nothing over there that’s any better than right here
Any difference perceived is in your head
But go ahead ignore my words and do whate’re you will
For you are young and green but you will grow
And then you’ll see some idiot who is sitting at the fence
But your wisdom will not sway him from the errs that he will know

Shade 66: The Ballad of Madam Willow

Weep for me O willow tree
Within the forest glen
Spin a song where lovers long
Of times forgotten when

So here I’ll sit while hours flit
A guest of madam willow
And she regales a lurid tale
When love and spring were mellow

And when I try to flee or fly
I’m drawn back to this clearing
And so I guess I’ll stay and rest
While she entreats my hearing

Rapt with fire as the moon jumps higher
And gentle night doth creep
‘Ere my return I’ve come to learn
Why madam willow weeps

Shade 65: First Drop of the Thaw

And from the stony tomb where Earth itself lay frozen still
Beneath an azure shell like flaking skin of long deceased men
Her ever beating heart spreads warmth always below
And slowly she will rise up from this tomb to live again

Shade 64: Dilemma

You have a pretty face
With a temperament mean and severe
And an attitude sharp and appalling
Your voice is a shrieking siren to hear
Your scent sets my skin all a-crawling
You’re dull of wit and slow of mind
Not the girl I would embrace
You sag a bit when I look from behind
But… you have a pretty face

Shade 63: Sun-dried Shrivel

I recall the fading bronze of Autumn
I recall the red and golden leaves
Blowing flakes of dried decay across the now-empty streets
Like memories across a barren sea

I recall the voices and the laughter
Being replaced by the ashen shriek of wind
The bleakness hits the bones though the chill is but skin deep
And Nature’s spin is speeding towards the end

Shade 62: Dealing with Change

The weather changes
And a storm kicks up
And dust and wind devastate the terrain
The landscape is bruised
The ground becomes volatile
And chaos is given free reign
Though endless it seems
Where the world is in bedlam
There is no sign stability will regain
As quickly as it starts
The storm dies away
But the now-battered landscape remains

Shade 61: Shouting from Olympus

Silence sounds different here
No wind no water no trees
It’s so imposing to the ears
So much so you won’t believe
I want to yell but I’m afraid
That if I try no noise I’d make
Maybe this is what deaf sounds like
Where the silence never breaks

Shade 60: Hall of Doors

Where did yesterday go?
And when did it become today?
Nothing has changed, has begun or has ceased
So what does my calendar say?
I’ve been working here hard and I do not recall
Ever being away
I swear it was yesterday last time I checked
So when did it become today?

Shade 59: In Search of Curiosity

I look for mystery but it’s harder to find
I look for a place I haven’t mapped in my mind
But there are roads through the forests and planes in the air
Light switches in caves and tourists everywhere
All the species have names now and shows on TV
With this supposed knowledge comes monotony
Where is the romance adventure and awe
It inhabits this world no more

Shade 58: Champion

The brave man wanders naught without purpose or plans for a goal
The wise man lets nothing disrupt him that he cannot control
The strong man survives in the desert when all lifelines run bare
The great man assembles a following where no one before was there
The smart man knows the right answer by feeling alone
The sure man triumphs completely without e’er being shown
The bold man raises quick his voice at injustice in the land
The noble man quells intense disputes not needing to raise a hand
The just man protects and projects his ideals and backs them with sacred fire
But a man must be all these men to forge his immortal empire

Shade 57: Queen Mab

Come to me O nymph and sprinkle dust upon my head
And take me from this waking world with haste
I desire not the doldrums that this world of day possesses
So come to me there is no time to waste
For when you come to me O nymph you show to me a place
So wonderful I dare not try to explain
You show to me a kingdom that’s entirely my own
And exists in the recesses of my brain

Shade 56: Drinking Song I

Let the stone hall ring
With our song, with our song
Let our hearts take wing
Come along, come along
Brother, join our merry throng

Be you warm enough of head and heart
Be you haughty men or frail
Ringing nice and clear with our booming cheer
Brother, fill your stein of ale

We’re a welcomed lot of good repute
We are thoughtful men and true
So sit right down let your sadness drown
Brother, here’s a toast to you

Let the stone hall ring
With our song, with our song
Let our hearts take wing
Come along, come along
Here you are, here you are we sing
Brother, join our merry throng

Shade 55: Moonshine Revelers

In the clearing of the glen, when the moon is shining full
The silent trees make refuge in the quiet summer dark
Fireflies go flickering through the undergrowth
And light the forest glen with their erratic yellow sparks
As the pale moon waxes high above the shadows take their form
And the little sprites of midnight come to be
Dancing through the thicket making worship to the moon
Swirling magic through the darkness in their nightly revelry
No man has ever caught a sight or even heard a note
Of the dulcet minuet that is the ritual of the nymphs
If you stray these glades at midnight though be wary for they say
You are stuck for all eternity if you merely catch a glimpse

Shade 54: Melody for a Snowfall

Rain O white in sheets of cloud
And drape the town with crystal shroud

And tame for once the torrent road
So calming bliss can slowly grow

Within the nest spread warmth and peace
And coat the world so tranquilly

Shade 53: Twilight on the Shores of Purpose

I walk this beach at twilight
And around my feet float in
The broken dreams of untold souls
Who once had fire within

I walk in their desolation
In their goals left incomplete
Drifting without direction
And tickling the soles of my feet

I tread upon their dignity
Beneath the silent moon
Looking through their shattered dreams
Hoping I never find my own

Shade 52: Widen Clouds of Green and Black

They say a plague is coming
They say the end is nigh
They say we are but sinners who need judgment
And must die

The people of North Farthing
Have lately taken ill
They’ve quarantined the town they say but
It keeps spreading still

They say there’s terror up in Freeport
They say there’s panic in the west
We’re reaping what we sew they say
How could we have sewn this

O few showed up at church for mass
For they’re all in disbelief
They ignore the news that’s going round
And hide behind their grief

The baker closed his shop today
And none in town know why
The whispers and the rumors spread
But I’m too young to die

Shade 51: The Stoning of Rosanna Noel

No one walks these streets no more
They’re haunted some men say
The houses lock their windows tight
The tourists stay away
It is said a great tragedy happened right here
That none in the town tried to stop
On this very street a young girl was killed
Stoned to death by a blood thirsty mob
None recall why or who cast the first stone
But it’s a black-mark on all of their minds
They can’t even look into one another’s eyes
Without feeling the weight of their crime
It is a simple testament of what bloodlust can do
They’ve all lost a piece of their soul
But the entire history of this longstanding town
Has been redefined by the stoning of Rosanna Noel

Shade 50: Her Beauty is as Starlight

There is a girl of starlight pure but captured here on earth
Her haunting eyes and porcelain skin give my poor life its worth
She fills my heart consumes my mind and turns my every thought
And a day without her lilting grace is a day that is spent for naught
I simply wish to touch her skin to kiss her lips or gaze into her eyes
And beg her heart before the jealous stars return her to the skies
The single moment I implore
Would fill my heart for evermore

Shade 49: Fortuna’s Kiss

I know I have ability, intelligence and strength
And to some degree success may be assured
But there is no such thing as certainty as far as I’m concerned
So I seek the cool security another’s divine word

Lady Luck, shine down on me ‘tis your support I need
The violent winds of chance are blowing cold
There is so much room for error in the task that lies ahead
Please help me guide the things I can’t control

Shade 48: Winter’s Breath

Invasive cold pervades the walls
It fills the rooms and floods the halls
‘Tis creeping, creeping closer still
Pursuing cloaked in bitter chill
With frigid glare and freezing will
None evade her calls

The water turns to icy stone
Touched by cold to man unknown
Circumspect O, one must be
This fearsome frost will come to thee
It will pursue relentlessly
And freeze one to the bone

Shade 47: The Great Zombie Uprising

Where will you be
When the zombies arise
And try to reclaim the streets
With corpse-rotting flesh
They are lusting for brains
And other such humanly meats
They’ve a lumbering walk
a low lifeless moan
And no need to rest or desist
They will come for you
In numbers so vast
That no man can hope to resist
So go get a twelve-gauge
Some Kevlar and nades
For there’s only a small upper-hand
Get to some high ground
And board up the door
It is time to make a stand

Shade 46: Peak Through, O Moon, the Clouds of Night

I want to quit, I feel I can
And quitting here is great
I want to know that I am he
Who’s master of his fate
I want to know I’m not the man
I always say I’m not
I want to show myself I can
Be stronger than I thought

Shade 45: Camouflage of Time

The trees have overgrown this place
And shrubs and weeds spring tall
The walls barely visible ‘neath the tangling ivy
Yet vividly this place I recall
These tumbling ruins still are great in my mind
It reminds me how fleeting we are
That once a great tower stood with such strength
But in no time has fallen so far
And from any distance would pass unnoticed
As it melds to the forest behind
Though once this spot was a landmark of my youth
It is difficult and trying again to find

Shade 44: Charter of the Martian Farmer

Oh stand and swear allegiance to he who declares his rule
And be counted among the subjects living artery to a fool
Tis known to all that dukes and kings are naught but thieves and charmers
But he with any intellect pays respect to the league of farmers

Shade 43: Hero Awaken

When sun first dawned across the scape of iron-laden red
The towering peaks of crimson slag bemoaned their ancient stead
For a new sun stretched his fingers wide across the barren sands
And through forgotten fires forged this vile and desolate land
Where bitter winds and haunting silence the bravest men would scorn
Within this cruel and jagged jungle a kingdom of Men was born

Shade 42: Arctic Impasse

The patient one sits in his icy cave
While the tundra outside grows white
He is wrapped in his fur with his firewood low
And concern on his face grows tight
Can he brave where the snow cascades o’er the land
To make up for the meals he stupidly missed
But what if he goes and he can’t get back
And he winds up frozen in the piling drifts
Or does he sit tight with his meager warmth
And wait to see how his situation might improve
Perhaps a mammoth will stray or the snow will stop
Should he stay and starve or should he move

Shade 41: Ghost in the Back of My Head

I see you in shadows
When I’m out on the street
I know it can’t be you but I look again
And in the crowd I see your face

I see you in shadows
When I’m ready for sleep
I try not to remember but there you are
Like a roadmap to a familiar place

I see you in shadows
When I’m thinking of youth
I wish I didn’t it’s more bitter than sweet
So I still try to not recall

I see you in shadows
Though years have rolled by
And for whatever reason I think I am glad
At least I still see you at all

Shade 40: O Ithaca

No suitor can at all compare
To what love hath drove me to
From the darkest depths of the deepest caves
I return for you
The siren song was tempting sure
And the cyclops’ strength immense
But in my heart I was homeward bound
Nothing could stay me hence
From the rocky shores to the deadly pool
Many crew my friends have died
I’ve buried them but stayed my grief
For I would not bury my pride
My love for you will never wan
It flourishes more than you will know
If you insist on testing me here
Just fetch for me my bow

Shade 39: The Rack

Standing in line at the DMV
And the seconds tick tick by
I do not know how long it’s been
But I fear I’ll be here till I die
The circus of employees here
Seem so mad at all of us
I just need my license renewed
I’m trying not to make a fuss
They take offense to everyone
And it’s clear they hate their lives
Why do I need this stupid card
I don’t even like to drive

Shade 38: Hemastis’ Well

The ripest peaches turn to ash
While cool clear lakes turn dry as sand
The vibrant rainbow dulls to grey
The red red rose withers in my hand
And the deepest dreams I’ve dreamt since youth
Once fin’ly reached are shallow tides
For there is no value or beauty for me
Without you by my side

Shade 37: Scale of Emerald

Test my skills and cunning by dropping hurdles in my path
While the path already had hurdles of its own
Try to make it ever harder just to see how I’d react
To see if I’m deserving of the prize that I’ve been shown
But don’t doubt my ingenuity, my cunning, or my skill
They lead me clear through snares and toils and still are at my side
I may not see the answer now but I swear I will prevail
And my vict’ry will be twice as sweet for the depths that I’ve been tried

Shade 36: On the Mountain

The road has been so very long
But at least I’m not alone
You’ve helped me share my burden
Walking t’wards the dark unknown
All this time I feel we’ve been waiting
Though I don’t know whatever for
Now everything is said and done
So I suppose we wait no more
There’s fear and apprehension
Waiting for what tomorrow brings
But my friend, I am glad you are with me
Here at the end of all things

Shade 35: The Spider in Sunlight

A spider sat in sunlight
Basking tranquil on a rock
And a moth flew down at this unusual sight
He said ‘Spider, this is curious
You shouldn’t be here now!
Spiders hide inside their web until the night.’

The spider simply smiled
He said ‘Moth don’t gen’ralize.
I may be a spider, but not like any spider you have seen.
For one, my web is welcoming
And I enjoy the morning sun
And I don’t eat other insects, for its mean!’

The moth was quite surprised
While the spider said ‘It’s true!
So leave me here in peace do not rude!’
‘I am sorry’ said the moth
Embarrassed to be sure
‘But I’ve never met a spider who did not think of me as food’

‘Then sit with me a while’
Said the spider to the moth
‘Have a little trust and you may just make a friend’
So the moth flew to the spider
Where they sat upon the rock
The moth said ‘spider you were right, I didn’t mean to condescend’

The spider smiled charmingly
As he bit into the moth
Saying ‘Never doubt when logic says to run
For nature dictates what we are.’
And the moth knew he was food
But he was right and he sat paralyzed, dying in the sun

Shade 34: Prismatic Spray

Where’s the thunder that I used to know
The bright white light shining through my soul
The fires gone and it left a hole
But that won’t bring me down

Now the days and the nights blend in
It’s so boring that I can’t begin
To shed out of this dying skin
But that won’t bring me down

There’ll be rain in the field one day
Pouring down on the folks who pray
But the clouds are so far away
Still that won’t bring me down

Don’t let them see what they might have won
Keep your faith waiting for the sun
When the rain comes you won’t drown
So don’t let that bring you down

Shade 33: Passing in the Night

Shh… I love you
But it’s a secret just for me
And though at times I want to shout it
I just smile quietly
I keep it locked away forever
In that place I keep for you
And I know that when you look at me
You have a secret too

Shade 32: From the Cauldron of Impossibility

There was a day the Earth was dry
Naught but a rock of fire
A thing so set in what it was
The God’s themselves could not conspire
To change the landscape overnight
Of a world so harsh and hostile
It seemed a fruitless stymieing plight
How could it be worth while
But when the ash and soot had set
The clouds though wispy thin
With courage high and patience great
Began to settle in
For though the trek would be so long
Nearly impossible they knew
Drip by drip and drop by drop
They turned this brown rock blue

Shade 31: Mr. Gilbert Gets Crunk

To sip the suds of sweetness
In a booming bawdy bar
I remain in my replete-ness
Cause I can’t control a car
I would like to linger longer
But I fear I’m facing far
And my sweat is smelling stronger
Than a tub that’s topped with tar

There’s a lot of lovely ladies
Flirting freely in the fore
Giving men but mystic ‘maybes’
Which makes ‘em want it more
They desire dainty flowers
Till their drool drips to the floor
And have been binging here for hours
Certain sickness is in store

The room is rung with riddles
Lasting late and long
Of felines playing fiddles
And of sailors singing songs
The pub has a plethora of patrons
And I’d bet that you belong
Among the maids and matrons
Here assembled in our throng

Shade 30: From the Writing Desk of V. L’Moane

Dear Lawrence,

I have news, I’m not doing so well
If you are reading this it means that I’m dead
Dear Lawrence don’t weep, do not greave for me now
For there’s important things must be said
Of all of my nephews I loved you the least
You are obnoxious and callous you snot
So put down your tissue and dry those fake tears
For God’s sake be the man that you’re not
Now as you well know my fortune is vast
And my generosity famed through the state
This is the reason for me writing you now
For there are tensions I must alleviate
Dear Lawrence you crap, you are out of my will
I leave not a penny for you
Do your remember the Christmas you called me a cow
I assure you I certainly do
You said they should milk me, and put a bell round my neck
And find me the old bull that I crave
You laughed and you laughed all Christmas day
Now it’s me laughing… just from the grave
Give mummy a kiss from her favorite sister
Dear Lawrence good luck on your own
Do not pity yourself though your brothers are rich
Chin up

Sincerely, Victoria L’Moane

Shade 29: Ashen Victor

What life can grow in this barren waste
This land of iron desert
Where fire and ice battle years on end
And they’re both too tremendous to measure

What lure is there in the darkening red
That stretches beyond the horizon
With cliffs and with crags so different from here
But with no visible fruit to cast eyes on

Yet beckoned we are to the cold sterile dunes
This rocky metallic gravestone
It offers so little but temptation is great
To attempt to understand the unknown

Shade 28: Pioneer

Load the wagons, get the Ox
Depart at dawn is best
With what provisions and reserves we need
We’re heading dreamward West
The trail is long, the journey hard
We’ll be tested to the core
But we’ve done all we can to ready ourselves
So let us wait no more
We’ll ride the road that few have rid
And turn our backs to strife
By sticking hard when faith is frail
We plant a brand new life

Shade 27: Red Eye Dark Night

In the dark of the night as I lie awake
Quite obsessed
Begging rest
For my mind to take

No repose do I find lying in my bed
But I wait
Contemplate
What goes through my head

I am still ever still as the night time creeps
Inching by
For a while
But dear God no sleep

Twisted shapes in the dark dance around the night
Beading sweat
Silent yet
While my fever spikes

And the moon waxes on through the night it creeps
I’m obsessed
Begging rest
But dear God no sleep

Shade 26: Midnight Blue

I see the flashing neon hidden by the fog
Tucked inside an alley off the street
The door is plain and cold and there’s just a little sign
That invites me to my own midnight retreat

The softened yellow light leaks out beneath the door
As it opens to admit my leather shoes
The usuals are slumping after hours at the bar
While Baxter in the corner wails the blues

His mellow saxophone plays the anthem of the night
A striking match and clink of cups the only other sound
This is where the lonely drink in quiet desperation
So I join this motley crew to which I’m bound

But at least here it’s familiar and there’s nothing unexpected
Where the harlots and the business men entwine
A layer of cigar smoke lingers like a mystic haze
And everyone has secrets on their mind

Like so many nights before it began with such potential
To free me from the doldrums I know too well
But like a mariner to the sea I’m pulled back into this haven
To finish out another evening in a solitary hell

Shade 25: Out of the Maze

I’ve solved you, completed you, figured you out
I’ve got the equation for sure
I know all the secrets that you hide within
For you can confound me no more
You subtleties once were so enigmatic
You puzzled my brain to the core
But now I’ve applied the right reason and logic
So now at night sleep will endure
O Now when I revisit your memory
I can’t believe I was stumped so before
The answers so simple the meanings so clear
The impenetrable wall has a door

Shade 24: Portrait of Morningside

The sun is high
The day is cold
The street is wide
The pavements old
The bricks are cracked
The trees are bare
The walls are stacked
The sirens blare
The people curse
The children cry
And none converse
Or even try
They don’t pay
Attention to
What people say
What people do
The garbage piles
Within the streets
It stinks for miles
Like rotted meats
I don’t know why
But there are some
Who say they like
To call this home

Shade 23: Sliver of Gold

The Piper plays for Springtime
His dulcet minuet
That whispers through the air and greening leaves
The bubbling brook will echo
Where the ivys climbing yet
The warm and gentle melody he weaves

The minuet is faint now
But grow it ever will
Until resounding through the world it blows
For now though death is lingering
And the trees are frozen still
The seed beneath the ground slowly grows

Shade 22: Lecherous Gluttonous Sloth

My dreams are not ridiculous
It’s dreaming that you hate
How I could try to strive so high
To change the landscape of my fate
I see your misery on your face
You’ll wear it to your grave
So take it out on my ambition
But I’m not the one enslaved
I will pursue the things I love
It gets me through your day
It’s the reason I don’t hate myself
And you’ll never say the same

Shade 21: The Cupboard was Bare

The surface of the lake is crystal clear
The fertile field is vacant
The whispering wood has no one there
The summit of the cliff is barren
The caves below are deathly still
The canyon floor is silent
The wheel is at rest beside the mill
The river is no longer violent
Tranquility fills the world around
And nothing stirs to wake it
Not even the birds or leaves make sound
And I don’t think I can take it

Lulled into a lurid haze
Need to rouse my lazy brain

Shade 20: So You Think You Can Beat Me In Scrabble?!

You may know more words than me
But I have something that you lack
A homicidal tendency to stab you in the back

I don’t have any consonants
You just laugh, but I don’t mind
I may not let my hatred show, I just bide my time

So get your triple letter score
On a word that is six tiles long
But I have an advantage too: none will miss you when you’re gone

Now let’s put the board away
And drink to your victory
But when I poured the glasses full I poisoned yours, tee-hee!

You didn’t see the Arsenic so
You’ve no need to defend
You may have won at Scrabble tonight, but I’ve won in the end

Shade 19: The Beachwood and the Bellows

The wolf winds howl and prowl the streets
With numbness in their stare
They pale your lips
And fingertips
And freeze you with their glare

The ice gnomes stalk and walk the road
They trudge with chilly airs
And cast around
A cold unbound
That reaches everywhere

The frost witch flies the skies of day
And stings with bitter façade
Through drifts of snow
The winter winds blow
For the Great White Cold walks abroad

Shade 18: Beginning Long Ago

Amidst the Autumn’s crimson sky
A gentle breeze did waft
A journey’s scent has passed me by
Upon the wind so soft

The journey’s path is not chosen in route
Nor is it in valor
But it’s paved in way
By light of day
And bathed in the stars’ silver shower

So blow a trail for me to tread
A road to follow hence
And I will ramble clear of head
And cast away pretense

My eyes are fully opened now
Gazing swiftly down the road
Standing here and waiting for my future to unfold
Whatever paths that it may behold
As I travel down my way
Singing to the break of day