Striking red on black

Vibrant hues that draw the eye

Warn to stay away...

Black bubbles over

Pockets of air fade away

The abyss takes me...

I close my eyes and I am free. The dull noise of existence quiets as the lights grow dim. On the edge of consciousness I feel the weight of expectation lift and all that is me ceases to be.

In sleep I find the comfort of death without the commitment....

It all started with the old cars hidden in the woods. Mangled automotive machinery lay strewn amongst the trees, their once shiny surfaces now bare metal stained rust red.

A pile of scraps was all anyone ever thought of it. It lay undisturbed, stowed out of sight in the woods on the outskirts of town. Sometimes a weekend handyman playing at mechanic will go digging around for a salvageable spare ...

Blackened blue knuckles bear the scars of labor. His palm like stone, callused by years of service. In his gaze, an icy weariness borne of experiences unknown to the youth before him.

Yet in his touch, a warmth that refuses to fade.

His hand is firm but never heavy, one that bears consideration for the apprentices under his tutelage. It is shaped by the words denied to him by experience, the wo...

Bird songs forgotten

Washed away in the downpour

In time, so will I...

I. Inhabit

Food, warmth, and shelter

Metal bars my protection

I want for nothing

II. Exhibit

From beyond my reach

The wide world outside awaits

I am left in awe

III. Lament

Comfort is a cage

Shackled by security

I am left wanting...

Sweet red runners bloom,

Inside the mechanized room;

Patches of dirt soil and rust,

Bear the world’s remaining trust.

Left barren and lifeless,

The land weeps in distress;

Now dry, devoid of life,

She bears nothing but strife.

Their greed now forgotten,

Survivors turn to the heavens;

Blind to their history,

They repeat their misery.

A robot revolution,

An earthly imitation;

Pods of dirt and me...

_“nonononononononono. please don’t do this. please let me go. please please ple—”_

It burns. I feel the sharp blade pierce my skin. The cold metal radiating heat the deeper it goes.

__

_It hurts. It hurts so fucking much. _

__

_And then it’s gone._

__

__

This is it for me, cold is seeping in — just one step away from death’s embrace; and then I see them.

My sister’s eyes, the same color as m...

“Come out already we’re gonna be late!”

…

“I’m serious, we don’t have time to play games anymore! Are you even dressed at least?”

…

“_Fuckin christ, I can’t do this._”

“… you swore, you’re not supposed to do that.”

“Great, _now_ you hear me.”

…

“Look, I know it’s scary and I know that it hurts but if you don’t say goodbye to mom now yo—“

“NO! _That’s not mom. _Mom’s always smiling, and sh...