AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT STOP EVERYTHING IS RED AND FULL OF GRIME THE COSMIC ABSOLUTION OF IT ALL IT COALESCES INTO SOMETHING BLACK I HAVE SEEN EVERYTHING EVERYTHING EVERYTHING THE TOTAL OF IT IS TOO MUCH BRAIN BLASTED AWAY THOUGHTS FLOODING OVERFLOWING VOICES INFINITE PLANETS CROWDED PHENOMENA APOCRYPHA MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT STOP AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

I will have to write a million words To soothe the to soothe the I will have to. Write. A million. I am dying I am dying The words are are are are A million words Life could be a fucking comedy And I would still be writing words Life is something to be dreaded Don’t I wish I was beheaded Words words words Or whatever the fuck Hamlet said Words words until the until the I AM A POET BUT I DON’T WANT TO BE I ONLY WRITE POEMS WHEN I’M ILL I ONLY SOOTHE MYSELF WHEN I’M SICK IT’S A PRESCRIPTION PILL AND YOU CAN OVERDOSE ON A MILLION MILLION MILLION WORDS

i’m writing poems again. i dread my own silence. the words make me human. if i didn’t have the words, i would

i would

Why does everyone talk so much And say those things And speak that way Worlds away And worlds that make no sense Like a shadow in a cave That you take to the grave Or some other fond notion Say, “Alas, Poor Yorick” Or some other somber something A petty comfort to those you do not know And those that don’t speak And those with lives beyond you And those who are

More More More More And everyone has been more since antiquity And you are not the first and you will never be Be Be Be The last So just be be be be be be Until you can be no more Until you are a voice in someone else’s head Until you’re an idea of you in another just like you And the “you” you thought you were ceases to

be

“Hey.”

“Hey, Sun.”

“Night shift go alright?”

“Eh, yeah. ‘Bout as alright as it’s been for the past four and a half billion years.”

“Oh, man, I hear that. The tides doin’ OK?”

“Oh, y’know… it comes and goes.”

“Sure, sure… you look glowing, by the way.”

“Aw, shucks, only ‘cause I’m next to you.”

“Stoooop, you’re such a charmer. Hey, you comin’ in later today? Could use some company.”

“Nah, I’m takin’ the day off. Need to get my dark side checked.”

“Ah, right, I forgot. You doin’ alright?”

“Well, y’know… it’s a bit tough not being able to see back there, but I’ll figure something out.”

“Sure, sure. Well, enjoy your day off. See you tonight!”

“See ya. Oh, Sun?”

“Yeah?”

“Good morning.”

“…good morning, Moon.”

“I need to tell you something, urgently. It’s about your boss.”

Click.

You hang up and prop your feet on the ottoman. What do you care? And on your day off, no less? You ease your shoulders into the couch cushions and turn on the TV. The new season of your favorite show is out today. You’ve dedicated the entire day to sitting on your ass and binging…

. . .

safety in the workplace. s a f. ety. in the work. place. you find yourself you find. yourself. it’s all just a little little littlehhhhhit’s a bit disorienting, isn’t it? ddddddddddddddddddd i need to tell you ssssssssssss maybe you ssssssssss ggggggdon’t worry. eorry. eeeeeee it’s just a little occupation ational hazard HAZARD H A Z A R D HHHHHHAAAAAAAA

. . .

You wake up. Ah, shit, you must have overslept. You check the TV… you slept through the last five episodes? Great, that’s yet another thing you’ll have to catch up on. You go to turn the TV off…

…but it doesn’t want to. Great, now the remote’s out of batteries, too. Another day off, ruined. Ah, well. At least you have the weekend off. That’s more than enough time to relaHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRR

You snap your head over to the window. How did you not notice the color of the sky? Jesus, it’s the color of blood out there. This is normal though, right? It’s late, the sun is setting, whatever. Then again… it is a pretty deep red. And what was that noise? You edge away from the window until you reach the other end of the couch.

Something slimy tickles your shoulder blade. You quickly turn to swat it away. It was nothing. Psh. Maybe you’re just on edge. You turn around…

The sky is pitch black. Why is it black?

“I’ve been trying to call you.”

The voice is coming from the kitchen. Is that… your boss? What’s he doing here? You turn to the pitch-black corridor leading to the kitchen…

“We had some people call in sick.”

Red light flashes you from the kitchen, engulfing your eyes. The glow drowns out everything. It nearly blinds you.

“We’re going to need you to come in tonight.”

Goopy black tendrils ooze from the corridor. They grab you by the ankles. You try to resist, but they have a monstrous grip. They reel you in, closer and closer to the red.

“If all this goes well…”

Red completely eclipses your vision. You hear creaking, like an ancient maw prying open. You’re raised into the air. A massive, slimy tongue caresses your head.

“…you may even get a promotion.”

It starts like this It starts like this It starts like this

It always starts like this. Why? Why why why why why why why are you like this? Telling LIE It’s a value proposition of filth and decay You only stop when you become COMPROMISED It’s just like you, fucking slime Start small, little bite Marginally comical and cynically baked Not the kind of lie you tell your parents Just a little “I don’t have change, sir” Or “I’m a little busy tonight” Doesn’t it taste like arsenic? Doesn’t it taint your blood a bit? You think it’s fine It’s fine It’s fine It’s fine But it starts like this It always starts like this. Until you hang on from a dangling thread To whatever the fuck it was You lie to keep it safe You unbelievable thing It’s just like you to be like you Why can’t you be someone else? You lie and lie and lie yourself deeper Until eventually