Were I to die in your arms

It would be the death

I would choose one thousand times...

When I swing back up

Do I end higher than when

I began to fall?...

Thirteen still flags

Draped over thirteen boxes cold

Carrying thirteen still hearts

That once bore souls of gold.

A rumbling steel tomb

Bears them through the sky;

The solemn warrior sentries

Weeps through watchful eye.

Throughout his vigil he considers

The kind of life he’s led;

Ponders the cold truth that he

Could’ve been among the dead.

Children made to grow too soon

Chosen to stand with th...

He stood in the back of the small church, the mournful organ music not penetrating his wandering mind. It felt WRONG. Wrong to be here, but not able to make himself known. This had been his best friend, had held him as he died, but he could not say a word, nor participate in the procession, nor comfort the mother of the deceased. He had to remain in the back, obscured by shadow. Because his own fu...

As 2020 came to an end, I saw people all over the world celebrating. The worst year in recent memory was finally over. It felt wrong to begrudge them this, but I did. They were glad for the year to end, but I wanted above all else for it to go on just a little longer. When I saw him emerge from the shadows in the corner of my room, I new the terms of the deal had expired, my year was up, and the d...

The choice, forced upon me by those I have sworn to oppose, stared me in the face like an arrogant enemy who believes he has one. Two options, neither of them good. On the one hand: revealing my identity to my foe, severely impeding my ability to combat him and to keep the city I love safe. On the other: I watch as Ava bleeds onto the concrete, unable to reach her in time. The choice is hard, the ...

A few more steps. Just a few more desperate steps to safety. Then peace, quiet at last. But those steps? Sheer pandemonium. People yelling, bodies jostling, the stress and release palpable. The smell of fear and unwashed bodies settles over the rabble like a mantle of decay as they attempt to jostle closer to sanctuary, their primitive instincts taking precedence over civilized behavior. You are ...