August Clouds

I hope I can make you proud
Like the clouds are proud of the rain
If a quenching descends from the blackness
Then the overcast holds less shame
If a flower stems from the gloom
Tufts of the dark drift to the heavens
If a blade of grass rises in neon
The weight of despair finds itself lessened
If the living can feed off remains
That the sky no longer requires
If their endorphins lust for the relief
That the atmosphere can perspire
Then maybe the clouds will have worth
Like the lilac appreciates the winter
Like the moth appreciates the flame
Like the comfort appreciates the splinter

The Rabbit Hole

It's a shame it had to end this way
And wouldn't you agree
That the vultures had to flock to us
From a basement in Vilas County
I'll bet you didn't think it of you
That the battle would shed your skin
You thought you would be the hero
Unsheathe your sword and lead all men
But the boogeyman challenged too soon
And you were the first to drop your guns
You can always tell a coward
By how swiftly their allegiance runs
It's all too bad and just more tragic
As if we can hold anymore
You thought you were brave like Alice
But now you are lost in the rabbit hole

Circle of Moss

Like a circle of moss in the desert
Like the apple surrounding the worm
It's your compassion that keeps me gentle
Like an eternity of water to soothe the burn
I always deal myself the wrong cards
I break the glass and I gum the shards
And whether I bleed or whether I lose
Like Monet's brush you soften the blues
I have a staircase down from the mountain
Firm as marble and steady as steel
It shimmers even in the devil's breath
Like the koi swims against the reel

Grinding My Teeth

If it gets any darker
We'll have to pray to God for flame
We've made it this far with clean knees
Let us refrain from uttering His name
If the ravens don't stop descending
If the leaves keep losing their green
If the canyon stretches any wider
And that sun will not befriend me
Should the waters still thirst for my lungs
And these clouds not bore of my scene
I fear I may have to leave you
Like a slumber lusts for Ketamine
If centipedes keep using their legs
To gain the higher ground
If rifles keep using their bullets
To sever sweet silence with the sound
You can circle round me on a knoll
And say the words you've ached to say
If I keep bedfellows with ghosts
If the darkness does not go away

I Guess

If your life is garnished with rainbows
I guess you should stand beneath their hue
If your days are sweet as gum drops
I guess it's on their sugar that you should chew
If unicorns hold your saddle
You might as well gallop through the silk
If the wine is aged as ever
I suppose it should coat your liver like milk
If your cigarettes taste smooth like mist
And their musk doesn't blanket your clothes
I guess you should let laughter fill your lungs
Till they tinge with the will to explode
I suppose it wouldn't be Christian of me
To hope you spend your nights alone
To envision you head in hands
To find a pleasure in sorrowed bones
I guess it would mark me cruel
And I guess a little fucked up
But I was never one for forgiveness
So I hope your clumsiness spilt your cup

Lambs

Lay down little lamb
It is time to catch your breath
Give yourself a slumber
Before you have no dreams left
The wolves will push you onward
As wolves are made to do
These beasts feed on the dead
Like the heat to rotting fruit
They don't mind if you stumble
And they don't mind if you crawl
They don't care if you are gentle
They don't care for you at all
If they join you in the sunlight
It is only when your cup is full
If they run to you through the frigid
It is only for the warmth of your wool
But now your wool is tattered
And that white has turned to beige
They tell you to bring back your color
Like they understand what it is to be grey
But give yourself just a moment
And maybe your bones will heal
Let the wolves be proud in their stature
It is the wise who know how to kneel

Brother And Sister

You pray for a savior
Then you push away her flesh
I pray my heart will mend
Then I stick daggers through my chest
We cry to see a light
Yet we sleep the day away
We drown ourselves in misery
And then wonder why we're deranged
We keep our demons gagged
And we wonder why no one hears
We hope the sun will explode
And wonder why it's morning that we fear
We toast to the night
But it's the dark that we despise
We curse God for giving us madness
As we walk with the devil, side by side