In Abstraction

The calm kept silent for too long, brooding over what was to come And composing a symphony of flawless, boundless scale that rang out slowly, touching the edge of time From the earth’s warm cradle it begins Entitled, we shed our reverent skin With a glimmer and a breath Heartbeats mark more than life and death We’ve walked these sands and offered all within our minds Just not these hands that built the wall between earth and sky If truth is what we truly seek, then strike us blind- Because we all refuse to let these scales fall from our eyes May we see how small we really are Let us feel how small we truly are

Submitted by Lake of Tears — Feb 23, 2026

I have dreamt in shades of red That with our hands we’d raise the dead Let us behold all that we have done; Immortal, privileged, among us lies not one Indifferent, the waves crash down Indifferent, we are bound I have seen in shades of red And upon the remains of incredible rage, we stand Though we aspire, and long to transcend A great divorce from earth’s cruel hand shall not be won by the likes of man Indifferent, the waves crash down Indifferent, we are bound For centuries, our reach extended not beyond the trees Yet now, we’ve breached the skyline and mapped the seas Still, the earth bends farther than we see And in the end, we will all be swallowed up by the deep Do we shape this endless hate with sculptor’s touch, our eyes ablaze? Or does it seek us out as prey, and fan our flames? For I see in red For I see in red For I see in red And it’s all that’s left Forever we break and cannot mend As crowns fall from the heads of men!

Submitted by Lake of Tears — Feb 23, 2026

Pavement of stars Sky like the sea And still, the distance between Is less than the distance between You and me I used to hear Your voice breathing through the wind I used to feel Your fire burning at my skin I reach arm's length to take the stars as my own But they stare back at what I have Reflecting all I’ve never known

Submitted by Lake of Tears — Feb 23, 2026

Brother, we were so close, like shoremen out to sea Sharing our hearts on decks carved from rotten trees Brother, you found the Lord and set sail for different seas Leaving the crew to die, ignoring helpless pleas from lesser men. Brother, when doubt set in, you set your ship ablaze Drowning the fools aboard for wanting to believe in something more than them Brother, you found a way to sever heart from limb- I wonder whose hand you’ll seek when midnight storms set in Brother! Open your eyes! Because, although we see things differently Your blood is red like mine And at the end of all things coming Will we be washed of all our pride? Will we help each other swim Or be taken by the tides? Show me where your bones release And tell me how you find your peace When every word you’ve spoken turns to knives You’ll tear the truth of men out from their eyes From their eyes (From their eyes) Show me! (From their eyes) Show me! (From their eyes) The storm is setting in as new rain starts to fall- The ship begins to lurch, its speed becomes a crawl The lower decks are filled with the ocean’s mighty wake The sails torn in the wind, the bow finally breaks The sun is in your eyes with the helm still in your grasp For when the depths embrace your stead You’ll be alone at last

Submitted by Lake of Tears — Feb 23, 2026

It’s like coming back to the house where you were born- Photographs in the hall from years before The window in your brother’s room where morning sun would speak to you Is covered up with years of dust- it shines no light, it gives no view The shades are drawn, eyes are turned from sky above You’ve found yourself far from that place you used to love So you paint the walls familiar shades But the room itself remains unchanged And as you look deep within, you gain the courage to begin: “I used to be such a burning inception, when days ahead seemed as brilliant as morning’s light. Spent my life waiting for the rising sun but the dawn has come and left me here to find- while I don’t recognize who I’ve become, I’ve grown much farther from the person I once was. So, like the glare out from evening’s glow, I’ll close my eyes and let this go.”

Submitted by Lake of Tears — Feb 23, 2026

Burn it down, embrace the flames now as your crown Breathe in smoke, the blazing glory of all you’ve known And feel, as the fire takes your home And fall, so the seeds of change can grow Phoenix, bring a nest of tinder and kindling Bow your head and exchange your feathers, now, for flames And feel, as the fire takes your home And fall, so the seeds of change can grow Now fire: spread Prepare a home for them Blossom forth from charred land once left for dead For all must fall in time To the brood, our prose, resign Now keep our wisdom safe

Submitted by Lake of Tears — Feb 23, 2026

We once walked the same path and our shadows were as one. With distance and time, division befell us all- we pulled the wool over our eyes and laid to rest accord forever more. Awake, sanctorum, awake! Awake, those searching, awake! Wake, profane, indifferent and inane. All Coalesce! Though from the start we’ve all diverged, all ascending paths must converge

Submitted by Lake of Tears — Feb 23, 2026