No shame in what has been before

the world, it turns the same.

Foster the learning that lay in store –

looking back from where you came.

A night of the soul will test you, boy.

The world, it works that way,

The cold hard nights will steal your joy

unless your demons are slain.

Soaked and strong, then face the sun

and stand before your life.

Walk tall amongst the boys that run

and finally, sheathe your knife.

The world is yours – to those that brave –

the fierce, dark nights ahead.

The truest treasures lay in the cave,

though its deeps are filled with dread.

But you, young man, have faced the worst,

you fear the pit no more –

the treasure waits for intrepid souls

unafraid to leave the shore.

Without your love, I love you back

Without your heart, mine beats

Without a single smile from you

I’ll hold our memories of peace

Without your trust, I give you mine

Without your hand, I hold

Without your blushing cheeks at night

My love will feel as bold

Without your touch, I feel your soul

Without your glance, I look

I’ll search for you within each crowd

pray you reopen our book

Without your lips, I kiss the sky

Without your breath, I breathe

I’ll whisper your name into the night

and love your sky from beneath

Without your mind, you are on mine

Without your glare, there’s pain

This earth I’ll walk to fill the void

And find new clouds of shame

Without your dawn, I rise again

Without your tears, I cry

Without a song, I sing for you

Without your sun, I try

I’ll find you in another life

Our hearts still one, betrothed

This wasn’t our only chance, my love

Don’t be haunted by my ghost

Without forgiveness, to you I’m drawn

Still hopes and dreams I’ll bring.

Without your hand to plant it on,

I’ll hold in mine your ring.

#iloveyou

Rebuild or destroy

both give us gifts

one hope is inspires

one sends adrift

ive loved them both

in my own way

ive held the bottle

ive gone astray

to build is harder

cause it takes two

but it takes the old

and makes the new

one ebbs with fire

one gusts with dream

one steals your breath

one brings esteem

one brings you rage

the other hope

but time runs out

through choice and scope

cant sit in doubt

while others sway

cant steal tomorrows

to lose today

ive changed and chose

committed true

ill build a rose

but not without you

the libra

it weighs

time trust touch and taste

the pisces

it swims

far and wide fluid space

the two

scales full

one balance, one worn

as one

perfection

if shared and not scorned

but he

must try

swimming in emotion so swift

if she

will but

teach him to flow with the drift

and she

must try

balance to come and to share

if he

will but

show her there's nothing to fear

they have

a future

twin flames in one soul

if hearts

can be

open to love and to grow.

#heartsopen #nofear #readytolisten

the chances? beyond measure.

two snowball's more like...

in hell, that they'd sail, and

...withstand the strike

and yet here we stand

twin souls in our vans

odds beaten and broken

...still abandoned our plans

your head pounds and circles

my heart – splintered shards

we both had our reasons

...two snowballs well-charred

you've taken hell's fires

i've survived so much ice

none could yet hurt us

...no matter the price

but we broke each other

through distance and cloying

who cares what the score

...that kept us enjoying

evermore together –

our paradise lost,

except we've forgotten

...still ways to exhaust

we command love

we could take it together

forgiveness and trust

... could save our forever.

both coming back,

but not just as before,

both afraid and yet trusting

... eternity restored.

#igetit #iloveyou #asyouwish #ivelearnedhowtolisten

close all the doors

and draw the shades

please bar the floor

i'll make a cage

you walked away

forgot my love

you couldn't stay

i'm not your dove

im just a man

a burning one

i hate my place

so now its done

my fire burns

invisibly

for all to spurn

though none can see

this heat is cool

it has no light

it chars so cruel

throughout the night

please put me out

please cover me

i beg and shout

though none hear me

i leave my home

tread carefully

chaos must roam

hurt only me

my dread and fears

have all come true

i burnt the tears

i've cried for you

i wish you all

that you deserve

i cannot call

you left me first

my friend is pain

i let it bite

we are the same

are flames are white

and we both choose

to waste away

we love to lose

but please just stay

or let the burn

consume us both

although i yearn

to keep our oaths

we said always

and come what may

despite the blaze

you said you'd stay

not violent

but see my flaws

you left silent

and broke our laws

i burn alone

your water gone

goodbye home

i was love's pawn.

#heartache #lostlove #agony #forgiveness

"Only if you come to me..."

the last words that I spoke,

they ravage through my blackest sea,

they turned our love to smoke.

Regret it stalks me like a hulk,

if only I'd reversed...

and turned those silly sounds around.

Now, "If only..." I rehearse.

If only I'd have trusted you –

if only I had stopped –

if only I'd have seen right through –

if only I had dropped –

the subject on that fateful night

that turned our dreams to dust.

If only I'd have held you tight...

our love would beat the lust.

If only I had held my words,

if only I'd used my ears,

if only I had never cursed,

our seeds would grow for years.

If only I could let you know –

if only I could say...

that you're my heart, my mind, my dream –

and I'll never go astray.

I'll never break your heart again,

though broken, it is still.

I'll tape, and glue, and beg, and bend,

'til it can hold it's fill –

of love that I'll pour into it,

of trust, I'll always share.

My soul in two with you, I'll split –

to bring our Heaven here.

Until the nights, have longer days,

until the seas run dry,

'til all my soul's long debts are paid,

until the fall of skies –

I'll love you like the moonlight's rays,

I'll never leave your side.

I'll hold you close each long night through,

my trust I'll never hide.

"You are my life," I should have said –

if only I'd wrapped the words.

But regrets are here, and you have fled.

You've flown off with the birds.

#Challenge #Heartache #Regret #Alone

She said, "Let the spider bite you, Love."

and I didn't have to choose.

Long legs wrapped their way 'round me,

and I prepared to lose.

My soul she takes from me complete,

our seconds turn to years.

I let her bury fangs so deep,

Whispers drown out all my fears.

Her muscles cinch and fasten tight,

trespassing with each touch.

Our pulses racing with all our might,

Our skin meets and hands clutch.

Silk webs suspend on through my mind

Her smile stalks me there.

She marked the territory lines.

Her heart beyond compare.

She nestled in behind my breath –

shook, vibrated, hummed, and planned.

She'd make my house her home unless –

I showed myself, a man.

Her magic eyes, they danced and leapt.

Her sound surrounds and floods.

Her hissing seethes, my spirit wept.

I played her games with blood.

No higher stakes than brands

and bonds, I tie myself to her.

I loose the tension of her strands,

Her anger starts to stir.

A question here, suspicions there,

the small hand starts to turn.

Her eyes go dim, love draining clear –

my heart she drops and spurns.

Dainty poison slips right in,

I stagger, beg, and moan.

Beneath my skin, sin spears like gin,

More than I have, I've loaned.

She runs away to wicked strays,

eight eyes never looking back.

I fall away – my soul astray –

Old course, I've lost your track.

No home for me – a husk bereft,

a man becomes a shell.

I cry and plea, no sympathy,

sweet poison brought me hell.

She said, "Let the spider bite you, Love,"

and I didn't have to choose.

Long legs wrapped their way 'round me,

and I prepared to lose.

#heartache #lostlove #nevermore #neveragain

You think your darkness makes you weak,

think the fairy tales were wrong.

You think it renders you apart,

and chars you to the bone.

You think no one can stand your heat,

no one can stay for long.

You think no one could love your heart,

just born to be alone.

But you don't see how hard you've fought,

while broken, you stand tall.

Silence held the years of pain,

you carry the weight for all.

Your suffering – an afterthought,

always brave while feeling small.

You stood alone and faced the rain,

fearless before the squall.

I think your dark makes you unique,

Built steel around your bones.

I think your cracks a work of art –

'cause through your light has shone.

I know I'll stand your burning streak,

let the crackle be my song.

If just one message I can impart –

your darkness feels like home.

What is it? This man’s first day driving a bus? I swear, If I’m late, I’ll –

She’s thick, ain’t she? Man, if I had just five minutes, I’d...

I rub my eyes and sit. I made the wrong choice. Fucking telepathy. “Know all!” they said. Turns out all there is to know is that people hate. A lot. Oh, and they think about running away, stealing, and, my God, they hurt inside… at least in this little slice of paradise. I shake my head and cover my ears, but it doesn’t help. The implant uses bone conduction technology. There’s no drowning it out.

I pull out the instructions.

Thought Genie! Step into the minds of anyone not wearing a mind vest and know all! Chip will dissolve in 24 hours. If the chip does not self-dislodge, T.GENIE NOT AT FAULT! All sales are final.

I huff. Yeah, my fault. I should be flying around right now with the rest of the addy-flight freaks, but there’d been a few things I wanted to know. Did my brother-in-law cheat on my sister? Bastard. Was the lying prick Stephen stealing my ideas from my office desk? Does Mel still love me... I rub my temples and see Du Pont Circle coming up.

“Next stop, Florida Ave.,” the speaker buzzes.

I make a note to stay off the damn bus til the weekend. I stand and brush past a man who breaks eye contact as quickly as he makes it. He smells like ashes and ozone. I shimmy-shuffle past the lady in the front seat with all the bags. And then I hear it.

Wait ‘til she sees what I did. Oh, man! I can wait ’til that dumb cow sees what I did to her. She’ll regret droppin’ me. Oh, man...

The words bother me, but they aren’t that unusual, even after just two hours in the city with the Genie. It’s the tone. I know. I know, but thoughts have a tone. And that particular thought stops me cold. My stomach drops. What is this? I... feel something. The Thought Genie is basically a high-frequency tuner. Reads some kind of chem signals in the brain and interprets the neurons and synaptic patterns. Science shit. Who knows? But there’s no place they talk about feeling the transmitter’s feelings. Fuck.

I yank at the device above my ear, but it’s locked in tight. I shake my head and try to differentiate between my feelings and the man’s, but they’re entangled.

Mary’s all but dead and she doesn’t even know. Walking dead, bitch. What she deserves.

I stumble backward and shake my head. A prim woman in a pressed skirt and tight glasses bats me with her paper like a bad dog. “Sorry. Sorry, ma’am. Miss. I -”

I shoulda made her pay years ago. Well, best served cold, ain’t it, Marrrry?

“I’m - ugh, excuse me.” I make for the bus door and trip. “My stop, driver. Coming.” I muster and feel my fists clench. My insides tighten like a spring. My eyes focus on the black grippy floor. What? Why? I turn. The man is staring at me. Jaw tight, fists clenched, eyes locked. Shit.

I mat my hair over my Thought Genie and scramble to my feet. Just some distance. Just need some distance and he’ll go away. Poof. I jog a few steps and feel the connection begin to link to another mind. Thank God. Anyone else. I jog around the corner and breathe out against the cool morning brick. I feel a vibration in my head, then a pause as it uplinks.

Where did that piece of shit go? Dammit! Damn tech mutants. I’ll kill him. Freak. Eavesdropper! What’d he hear? What’d he hear?

“Help, sir!” I say to a man striding past on his phone. He raises his eyebrow behind thousand dollar sunglasses and sweeps passed. I peel off the wall and peek around the corner. There he is. Walking this way. A conservative mad man in stark relief against a city that accepts him. Wears a cool salmon tie against a crisp blue suit that cuts to his svelt body like a shell. But inside it, he hides. A hermit crab human. A white-collar monster.

I run.

Kill him!

Can’t think. Can’t separate his thoughts from mine.

There he is. What’d he hear? Never gonna tell another secret again.

I race. A store. Glass windows. Keep running. There, Kramer’s Books! I know it. Maybe Josh is working. Oh, God!

Go on, little rabbit. Can’t hide from me.

I bang open the door and look around. Quiet mid-morning. Empty. Old book smell. Two, three... all women. “Josh!” I call. A woman behind the counter shushes me and beckons me over, shaking her head. “Call the cops. There’s a killer - a killer coming!” She stares. I begin to cry loose sloppy tears and run to the back of the store. A way out? Back Entrance?

No way out. He’ll try to come out this way. You still listening, pal? Go ’head. Listen.

I run upstairs. The stairs creak and moan. I stumble past rows of Mechum and Bryson. I turn the corner into the wide-open space with no exit.

Right behind you.

I smell ashes and ozone. I see the huge window and race toward it. Blind sprint. Can’t breathe. No more tiles. I stop and turn. “What’d you do?” I scream.

“You’ll never know,” he says as he shoves me through the glass. I hear the crashing glass above the fray of his myriad thoughts.

Got ’im. Close. Too close. I can get out of this. You’re next, Mary.

Bright light. Grey clouds. Crack. Buzzzzzz.

“It’s alright, ma’am. I’m... Agent Foster. That man’s a criminal. Stole private property. I’ll go outside and phone the cavalry. You just relax now. Stay here.”

The light fades. A blue suit steps over me, careful of the oozing crimson.

Now, where’s that bus stop.

#Prosechallenge #superpowers #Dangerousminds #thriller