Facing the Thousand

In the distance, they are circling I watch them go around and around, never tiring The one near death is hypnotized and closes its eyes One last time Patiently they wait for that perfect moment to descend And pick to pieces a once healthy Body of passion and life It’s me or it’s you and I get to decide Which one lives and which one dies Where and when? How and why? HERE and NOW A vital organ plucked out Because I need to survive Self-sacrifice is suicide Circling with occasional cries Of delight? Of anticipation or remorse for nature’s ceaseless patterns? Binding every being to the same sick fate What unfortunate creature must suffer Watching a thousand deaths spiral slowly towards it It’s me or it’s you and I get to decide Which one lives and which one dies Where and when? How and why? HERE and NOW A vital organ plucked out Because I need to survive Self-sacrifice is suicide What unfortunate creature must suffer Watching a thousand deaths spiral towards it With the will but not the strength to move on From this place Just close your eyes, just breathe your last sigh Just let go of this life Just close your eyes, just breathe your last sigh Just let go, it’s come now, your time How do you want us to die? With regrets rotting away all of my success? With longing eating away at my fulfillment? Must every self-interested act inflict Devastation on another? Would you rather rot or be picked to pieces (still) alive? How do you want us to die?

Submitted by Grave666 — Apr 26, 2025

Everyone sees through you How do you sleep at night? Translucent eyelids dont keep out the light Eyes that bulge apathetically From your engorged (yet empty) head Resting on a pillow bursting with dreams that will never take flight Songs that one time soothed their weary minds and tired limbs Become hauntingly, disturbingly, and loudly chanted hymns Frozen-hearted martyr-maker What keeps you safe and warm at night? A blanket woven with the flowers of forced labor Dyed and colored with the blood That you robbed from prisoners and slaves Admit it, you get off more when they are fighting to escape And what holds you up there, High above the rest of us? Mighty only if the sheets weren't pulled over your head The posts of your bed carved From the bleached bones of your dead The faces of your apparitions dripping with the tears they shed This is where majesty lies awake feeling corruptly luxurious Is this where dignity lies awake? In a cradle fit for a king? Frozen-hearted martyr-maker What keeps you safe and warm at night? A blanket woven with the flowers of forced labor Dyed and colored with the blood That you robbed from prisoners and slaves Admit it, you get off more when they are fighting to escape You are not my hero; you're only my sovereign Im not encouraged to follow in your noble, shallow footsteps; Just expected to obey And even though you're the one that represents all of humanity You are still only human The backbone of immortality breaks every time: Our fatal flaws turn to fatal lies

Submitted by Warbringer — Apr 26, 2025

You will find that some of the most exquisite eyes Mask the cruellest secrets A villainess in a goddess disguise I grew to easily distinguish your lies Your glossy, sincere smile, always too eager to please Everything good, everything hopeful that you ever said An obvious falsity, another loss of innocence The only truths you’d rarely let escape Horrifying enough to chill even the most shadowed soul You fucked up everybody’s life you touched How’s that for an accomplishment? “Surprise! I made you this exclusive key to my closet.” Well I never asked to see your skeletons. How many crimes did you commit, guiltless and without mercy Before you realized you longed to be caught? In a way, I think you knew your secrets Would break me and I’d confess for you If you had played this desperate game more cunningly Everything good, everything hopeful that you ever said An obvious falsity, another loss of innocence The only truths you’d rarely let escape Horrifying enough to chill even the most shadowed soul You fucked up everybody’s life you touched How’s that for an accomplishment? “Surprise! I made you this exclusive key to my closet.” Well I never asked to see your skeletons. I could have been your prisoner, your protégé, or your slave But you succumbed to jealousy, an imaginary rivalry You’d never admit it, who could possibly rival a queen? But that’s not at all what I mean I’d never pit myself against you You’re right I’m sick with terror At the thought of being compared to you But not because I think I’d lose My one worst fear Is to become anything like you.

Submitted by The Void — Apr 26, 2025

When you gaze into your polished metal plates You picture the face of a man who longs to see his soul But claws are claws, whether sharpened or painted or blunted From hours of bounding, one-track-minded, through the snow I have arrived, an exile too inferior for your highness to fight Armored, not humored, and prepared to seize your life The prisoner I came to rescue sits down to watch the fight With tears in her eyes, Who knew a tongue could do so much harm Lying in one’s mouth? Dancing to music that wasn’t really there Muttering about moments we never even shared Your twisted jaw moves But you’ve lost all sound How soon till your breath runs out? When the others gaze into your polished eyes As glassy as the doll’s you hold to represent your soul They witness the face of an animal acting like a man In their confusion, you dressed them in sashes and perfume, But the stench seeps through I long to scream, “My country, This is not how we were supposed to live!” And with each mortifying blow, I’m fading rapidly “Get up!” I hear that faithful onlooker plead She won’t insult me by looking away When I start to bleed Who knew a tongue could do so much harm Lying in one’s mouth? Dancing to music that wasn’t really there Muttering about moments we never even shared Your twisted jaw moves But you’ve lost all sound How soon till your breath runs out? One leap, one strike, and the metal snaps away from your face That chattering jaw comes unhinged And your insincere tongue hangs down from your neck I plunge through the ribs and grasp the steaming, slippery heart It slides down my throat and I am king again “Tear down these garish walls and let the prisoners free! Throw their gaudy stones from the cliffs and out to the sea! Rip these dolls limb from limb, claws proudly unsheathed! Our souls were never meant to be seen.”

Submitted by Nargaroth — Apr 26, 2025

It may feel like it’s too much to handle, But it’s not time yet. Your body operates, automatic, Like a breathless engine, It shines in the swimming haze and heat. While your mind, Like a swarm of insects in a gust of wind, Crumbles and reassembles, Forgetting its original, innocent form. No, it’s not the time. Don’t let your frantic mind Run you away From me. No no no, it’s not the time You’ll be alright Don’t let your frantic mind In our oldest, wisest years We’ll laugh, Looking back At our losses. Yours, the self-control you longed to Trust, Mine, any adequate words to dissolve the Mounting Pressure Moment. And in our tissue-paper skin, We’ll mock the frailties of youth. And cherish the steel-solid minds We acquired in time. No, it’s not the time. Don’t let your frantic mind Run you away From me. No no no, it’s not the time You’ll be alright Don’t let your frantic mind I know life starts in slow motion And ends in a fast-forward-flash, When all you want to do is rewind So you can relive Those days we spent Never wondering about how it all will end Remember the languid, mesmerizing Hours we spent, spellbound, Dreaming of the life we lead Now? Don’t be disillusioned Dreams and reality may Never synchronize But someday, we’ll get away With a perfect day And we’ll laugh, Looking back. The machine hums to the whine Of the cloud, the swarm No louder than before When did it become The anthem of impending tragedy? A maddening melody building In shrill intensity? Maybe it’s just a new song to sing us to sleep It’s not going to end the way you think

Submitted by Cyberwaste — Apr 26, 2025

Follow me to solace and safety Over the tar-blackened river and past the gleaming yellow eyes I hope I’m right this time I can’t lose any more of you tonight They’re trusting me to lead them, but they don’t know I’m just running from my fear Are they catching on yet? Let’s change our course I’m putting all that I’ve got into my last resort Can I count on you to make it work? Peril and risk prowling around every corner Sudden death rushing at us from behind the clouds Danger and threat stalking weary stragglers Keeping us on the very tips of our toenails The enemy has been on our scent for days, Only miles away from revenge they crave There has got to be a way To cover our tracks Or what happens when we stop running? I can’t be too panicked to protect Tell me, when we opened your eyes Did we kill you or save your life? I thought we’d never break away From the city of the snares, always fighting to forget, Choking out their memories I was almost intimidated by their sleek exteriors But the truth’s they were baited with the best They claimed they had no choices left What value does gilded, useless armour have When you finally need to fight? Stop with this show, And repeat the pathetic blind surrender. We may be outnumbered; We’re not oblivious, we are not cowards Like every one of them So why am I still plagued With apprehension, hopelessness, guilt and shame? In spite of myself, I wonder Regretfully, when we opened your eyes, Did we save your life? How the hell did any of us survive? Peril and risk dominating the night Sudden death rushing at us from behind the clouds Danger and threat stalking weary stragglers Keeping us on the very tips of our toenails When the casualties outweigh survivors, Is that when I’ll know I’ve been defeated? While the passive deny, we act on acceptance Did we save you or did we kill you? The dread and turmoil now behind us An uncertain leader, we’re just fortunate To have gotten through it all We’re chasing utopia at the top of the world I can see it now—home. We’re almost there

Submitted by The Void — Apr 26, 2025

He clasps the crag with crooked hands Deformed from gripping the rock so tight Close to the sun in lonely lands But the wax never melts from his wings Ringed with the azure world he stands Emperor of the sky, lord of the ocean The very image of a king His outstretched feathers overwhelming the sky And his innate pride to lead Suggest power, not modesty But he never kills without consuming And though he is always watchful of his surroundings As he skims the surface, I suspect he doesn’t realize the panic His shadow induces In the hearts of the creatures underneath The overflowing surge of relief They feel as he revisits His distinguished position on the cliff An immense wall of stone Taking the place of a diamond covered throne A shining ocean instead of a glittering palace To signify his status The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls Tiptoeing past the sentient, piercing eyes He watches from his mountain walls His mind once again boundless in flight And like a thunderbolt, he falls Racing heart, never a doubt Or glance behind His outstretched feathers overwhelming the sky And his innate pride to lead Suggest power, not modesty But he never kills without consuming And though he is always watchful of his surroundings As he skims the surface, I suspect he doesn’t realize the panic His shadow induces In the hearts of the creatures underneath The overflowing surge of relief They feel as he revisits His distinguished position on the cliff An immense wall of stone Taking the place of a diamond covered throne A shining ocean instead of a glittering palace To signify his status Guided by instinct, his conscience remains unburdened Never having to reflect within, He focuses relentlessly on the outside world He manifests the answer to the oldest mystery The meaning of life Nothing more than just To live

Submitted by Cyberwaste — Apr 26, 2025

At times, when my mind wanders with my feet, My thoughts reach their destination before my body Like a recurring dream, I find myself traveling to lands I thought beyond my reach So new and different from my actual hideaway And before I return to that same familiar gate Words come together magnetically, Clearing way through the mess of obscurity The knot of doubts restraining me They form perfect letters to you in my imagination And, when finally confessed, grant my release Bodies bare of pretence, timid and undressed Do you mean to win me with these praises and offences? Why ignore me if you profess to adore me? I didn’t think you could stand the sight of me At least you spoke honestly; my refusal was based on damaged pride, Not an aversion to your advances Obsessed with visions of the world, of night in distant places What lies outside of constancy? Outside of these fences? Passing the blurry lights, it’s not my eyes, It’s the world that’s unfocused, distracted I’m well acquainted with your inelegance and vice You’re still more graceful than the night That falls in each city with a sprawling indelicacy I’m straying further from home From my safe routine; and you’re trying to find your own Can you blame me for inexperience? Just listen; it’s all the same Bodies bare of pretence, timid and undressed Do you mean to win me with these praises and offences? Why ignore me if you profess to adore me? Somehow I’ve been lifted high above the tops of trees, From this frightening height, The buildings seem to be flattened in the streets I tell myself, “Don’t look down, There’s no way to plummet charmingly” And when I do I know you’ll say “What a pity, She’s just not what I expected her to be.” But I can’t let my fear of heights get the best of me As my mind and body journey together in a parallel reality I realize that if I’m falling, at least I’m free I never want my feet to take me home

Submitted by Finntroll — Apr 26, 2025

Here comes the train, pained and wailing Eye focused on you warily, but still unblinking Is this the one I’m supposed to bring? For this next journey, endless and complex Injuries you’ll never be prepared to dress A hundred stops you’ll sleep away Then wake to wish you hadn’t and You take your time packing light I never could comprehend How it took you hours to finally end Up with a list of twenty forgotten things To the naïve eye (not the headlight), You might appear to actually care for something But you’re not guarding this life with your own, Just risking mine What a fucking waste. This time Remember when I said you were bound to make another mistake? Was it stupidity or a self-fulfilling prophecy? Self-fulfilled, I should say Unless you were planning on One more fuck-up today? Another idiot’s dance, are we just supposed to watch and laugh? We’re far from amused; in fact we might as well be lying on the tracks Here comes the crash, too fast to catch my heart, Propelled from my chest while my body Lurched and halted with the brakes While everything else seems to slow around me I can’t believe this is happening again I was never meant to be here, I complain Because for a moment, the ride was steady, But your devastation was inevitable Expected, yet unavoidable, Like the cycle of natural wildfire The peril is far too close To allow any delay in my stride The deaths and wounds are far too real For me just to stand and gape, wide-eyed Like the crowd That can’t help themselves, or us I’m sorry, but I won’t be entertained by your train wreck life Will it be neglect or abuse That puts you underground? Your tracks are sore from overuse And they're finally wearing down A scar for every accident New waste to block the way All aboard your train wreck life Last stop, Tracks of Decay!

Submitted by Sexy Gargoyle — Apr 26, 2025

Tonight was just another night of monotonous fear Broken only by feeble thoughts of empty reassurance It came like a bittersweet blow to your dull reality A vision to scare the idleness from your hands Did you leave behind a legacy? Did you leave behind a single thing Of real value To those around you? Well, did you love hard enough When you were going to live forever? Are you wasting time being afraid of letting go? Of causing pain? Are you wasting time being afraid of being afraid? The present world drifts before my eyes like a fading memory I feel like I’m grasping desperately for something That disappeared before I had a chance to need it And then—the vision to change my life on its last night Well, what if you knew it to be true? Now tonight is not just another night, But your last one here on earth And by tomorrow, you’ll be gone Along with all your good intentions And urgent procrastinations Well, what if you knew it to be true? Would you finally find your courage And say what needed to be said? In a lifetime, Can you say everything you want to say? Are you going to die Knowing you never apologized? What will your last words be? And who will be the one to hear them? What will be the mark you leave? And will it mean a single fucking thing? Tonight’s my final night And I’m playing every song like it’s my last Tonight’s my final night And I’m singing every song like it’s my last

Submitted by Sexy Gargoyle — Apr 26, 2025