Wasteland II: Setting Sun

The land beyond was unknown,
my journey began when I walked.
New faces came before me,
each step I took was carefully stalked.

“You look so pale,” they said,
“Why are you always dressed in black?”
“Your words spell horror,
is it love that you lack?”

All their concern made me change,
the way I walk, the way I speak.
Once a strong and proud king,
I was reduced to being humble and meek.

I quickly learned their language,
my actions based on what their reaction would be.
Slowly I began to writhe and suffer,
for all my essence was sucked out of me.

I began dressing like them,
and tried to blend in with the crowd.
Silent whispers of wisdom lost,
my words became conceited, brash and loud.

Molded into their culture,
the lies of a lifestyle were too much to take.
Within these petty illusions,
piece by piece my heart would break.

Enough is enough!
I was trapped in this monotonous rat race.
In the bargain of being heard, loved and accepted,
I had forgotten my own face.

The world beyond is truly vicious,
this is where I must draw the line.
Free from the burden of feelings and society,
I must reclaim all that is mine.

I had resented isolation and solitude,
even though they let me be all I could be.
Being alone is better than being lonely and scared,
this truth my mind could clearly see.

With a smile I walked towards the setting sun,
to the deepest, darkest corner of Earth I would go,
and rebuild my kingdom of ice,
a cold, barren wasteland full of snow.

Wasteland I: Kingdom Of Ice

This winter wasteland is my kingdom,
the throne of ice belongs to me.
Sitting on it proud and strong,
I judge and govern all I see.

Nothing escapes my vision,
wide-eyed in all its glory.
Confined within crystalline walls,
tall and thick, they mark my territory.

The kingdom has no people,
my subjects are the rubble and snow.
Cold winds are my companions,
beyond these walls there’s nowhere I can go.

The world beyond is cruel,
vile humans stuck in their rat race.
Their filthy intentions must be severed,
memories of them I must erase.

Within these walls is safety,
shadows and darkness offer refuge.
The silence slowly helps me grow,
secure in the towers of solitude.

Nothing can touch me,
I do and say as I please.
Blizzards quickly come and go,
as I command them with ease.

Isolated in this vast wasteland,
my comfort slowly turns to dread.
What’s the purpose of expression and speech,
when no one’s heard a word I’ve said?

Light of wisdom pierces the crystalline walls,
the towers of solitude rumble and shake.
My throne quickly crumbles,
the kingdom begins to break.

The unexplored land beyond unfolds,
all my fears begin to fade.
Divine realizations dawns,
the kingdom was a prison I had made.

Detour

I stood on the edge of the city,
blinded by hoardings and light.
Walking through the empty streets,
like a silent guardian of the night.

There were screams behind closed doors,
where ‘Happily Married’ the signs read.
Claw marks on the doormat,
the windows were all painted red.

They sold morality on brazened roads,
with palms that had deep holes.
Twisted crosses and hollow idols,
seeking redemption through begging bowls.

Silence was a luxury,
the clubs pumped vibrations on the sidewalk.
The crowd swayed in sync,
late to listen and early to talk.

Their souls were lost in ideals,
of what should and should not be.
With blindfolds thicker than race horses,
the truth their hearts could never see.

Before their flat screen mirages,
the masses often mesmerized.
With hi-tech lies and illusions,
on their insecurities they were pried.

Such was the fate of this city,
bound to destruction and doom.
I turned around and walked away,
to the land where lilies bloom.

Bodhi

Vacant skies above,
reflect the darkness in your heart.
If the end is your goal,
where do you even start?

The winds bring no answer,
brushing against this empty shell.
Chaos thrives in the mind,
catacombs deeper than hell.

Do you dig deeper,
when knowledge only leads to pain?
Is there comfort in solitude,
when there is nothing to lose or gain?

Questions pile up quickly,
burying all the self-esteem.
In the realm of cognitive dissonance,
reality feels like a dream.

Confidence falls prey to doubt,
crawling on a razor is the only way.
Death is redemption,
from the clutches of another day.

Voices turn to echoes,
on a rusty ship good judgment departs.
Trying to control everything,
when everything only falls apart.

The bottom is merciless,
on such filth even the fish won’t feed.
Clawing and holding on to something,
when nothing is all you need.

Dawn breaks through dark clouds,
but there is no herald of angels with song.
The answer lies within,
it was within you all along.

Everything disappears with a smile,
a dusty path begins to show.
All your needs on the other side,
instead you feel content in letting go.

Lapse

I fail to remember,
when this journey began.
Can barely recall the first walk,
or the first time I ran.

My feet wore out,
somehow the heart seemed to ache.
Should I even rest,
when there are so many steps to take?

My knees begin to buckle,
does this mean I have to crawl?
Chin on the cold, hard bottom,
is there meaning in struggle at all?

Define a specific purpose,
set all these worldly goals.
If ambition is truly fruitful,
show me how the path unfolds.

My body has been scraped,
trying to make two ends meet.
Comfort is a distant dream,
true happiness I’ve yet to greet.

Each day brings hope,
that is crushed and bound to doom.
Rainbows wither before my eyes,
as the sky slowly falls to gloom.

“Carpe diem,” is what they say,
but that is such a lie.
Barely holding on to an inch of life,
waiting for your turn to die.

A good life is around the corner,
crawl left towards the next bend.
If each day is a new beginning,
I only wish to meet my end.

Phobia

She was always with me,
in every thought and every dream.
She came before and after,
always hiding within each scream.

I always felt her,
as I looked down from a hill.
Standing behind me,
crippling my will.

Kicking and crawling,
I would try to abate her.
All efforts were futile,
as she was always near.

She caught me by my nerves,
steadily, she grew like cancer.
“How do I let go?”
Such questions had no answer.

She stood before my freedom,
always pulling me back.
Struggling, I’d succumb,
as she’d remind me of all I lack.

I told her she meant nothing,
yet she refused to go.
Hiding beneath my skin,
and piercing me from below.

While others laughed and joked,
I struggled to climb and walk.
If they knew how I felt,
they’d realize it’s not all talk.

While she grew stronger,
I remained bound and confined.
Not going anywhere,
or else she may return to remind.

I knew she had to go,
after taking away many of my years.
Yet she held on,
the epitome of all my fears.

Extricate

Why must you face anguish?
Why should you live a lie?
What’s the point in holding on,
if parts of you slowly die?

Don’t be subdued by anyone,
people shouldn’t determine your fate.
Your are your own master,
Your will no one can subjugate.

Maybe happiness is flawed,
but the same goes for despair.
Why writhe and suffer in dismay,
and leave your soul impaired?

Don’t let people chain you,
don’t be bound by petty things,
empty promises and façades,
feigned love and shiny rings.

Letting go is the first step,
emptying yourself from within.
Realizing who you are,
and waiting for the magic to begin.

Forget everything you know,
forgive mistakes of the past.
Embrace and love yourself,
then you’ll be free at last.

Suffering is pointless,
for the love of another.
Especially when they leave you,
in your own misery to wither.

Why should you be treated,
like trash on a crowded street?
Why should you feel inferior,
when your ends no one can meet?

To keep you tangled,
there’s so much they’ll want to say.
Just know that there’s a difference,
between giving up and walking away.

Shrine II: Ruins

This temple is my treasure,
it is mine to love and keep.
I look after and protect it,
it’s the place where I live and sleep.

My heart lies within it,
it cradles my mind and soul.
I know all its secrets,
from every corner and every hole.

The temple shares its blessings,
by holding and guiding me.
In my darkest hours,
its radiance lets me see.

Within these sacred grounds,
its sanctity must not be fazed.
Those who come to defile,
with extreme prejudice, they must be erased.

But I tend to forget,
everything that I’ve been told.
“This temple belongs to no one,”
it is not mine to hold.

So I watch from a distance,
as vagrants come, loot and take,
all that I hold sacred,
as parts of my soul slowly break.

The temple’s doors are open,
even for the filthy, they never shut.
Its loyal devotee crumbles,
while others desecrate it like a slut.

Destiny

Thoughts overlap,
like wild waves at shore.
Gushing violently,
can’t breathe anymore.

What has become,
what does the future hold?
Visions in the distant,
mysteries yet to unfold.

Pondering incessantly,
over what may come ahead.
Uncertainty is a vice,
that’ll keep you awake in bed.

The past often bites,
eating away a part of your soul.
Unable to hold the present,
tomorrow crumbles whole.

Doubts raise their heads,
surety is bound to doom.
Pillars of predefined notions break,
better conscience falls to gloom.

The stars won’t reveal tomorrow,
nor will crystal balls that are spun.
All the answers are safely hidden,
in the wake of the rising sun.

Forget what you think,
forgo what you know.
Plant the seeds of change,
and reap what you sow.

You can make your decisions,
based on what you feel, hear and see.
Stop seeking glimpses of the future,
you are where you need to be.

 

Void

This void is my temple,
abominable and full of grief.
Twisted and distorted,
where dark secrets come to sleep.

All who enter disappear,
falling one by one.
Vanishing like an illusion,
distant memories they become.

The weak will only wither,
the strong will all be slain.
There are no rights and wrongs,
nothing to lose or gain.

There is only despair,
happiness will end in vain.
Engulfed in isolation,
the silence will drive you insane.

Some may call it hell,
for its burden is really huge.
Some call it home,
where they come to seek refuge.

There is no vision,
no hope or a better day.
Nothing makes sense,
nothing to show you the way.

But it does not matter,
because there’s no one to see.
In the darkest shade of black,
you can be anything you choose to be.