The Escape of the Snakes from Sinister's Zoo

In the late, late night
By the light of the moon,
The snakes escaped
From Sinister’s zoo.

The big one said
“We have things to do”
But the little one wanted
Something to chew.

“There’s a warm air vent
Across the room;
Won’t you bask under the
Big, round moon”?

The big snake pleaded and wheedled
And conceded at last
To accomplish the little one’s
Desired task.

They squirmed under rugs
And wove around chairs;
They would settle for bugs
Before going back to their lairs!

But there! Sticking out from under a cushion
In the pale moon’s light,
The little one’s scales gave a shiver of
Hungry delight.

Some strange new creature
Thought itself safe from her teeth
So silently slithering
She attacked from beneath!

The big snake was sleepy from exploring all night
But just as he began dozing away
Something gave him a fright
His poor tail became prey.

While the little one lacked
The advantage of size
She had never been known to give up
On her prize.

With her unknowing teeth
Latched onto the bigger snake’s tail
He whipped the small snake around
Like a leaf in a gale.

“I’ll show this intruder
Just who makes the rules!”
And he shot out to consume her;
Eyes glittering like jewels.

When the sun shook the sky
To rouse it from sleep,
The Keeper returned
And heard nary a peep.

She found her snakes vanished
And a strange tear in the couch.
Down on the floor something glimmered
So she bent into a crouch.

A collection of scales
Caught the first rays of sun
Torn from their tails
When their little adventure had ceased to be fun.

No other trace of the snakes
Has ever been found;
Just a tear in the couch and some scales
On the ground.

It’s thought that the snakes,
So determined were they,
Managed to eat one another
In their misguided fray.

LESSON: Know the difference between an enemy and a misguided friend.

Never Give Up

Never give up.
When your endeavors are crumbling,
And your dreams have lost their will to soar,
Walk on.
Walk on through the dark and
The uncertainty.
Walk through the broken-glass shards of your optimism.
Wade through the sweat and tears of your unrewarded hard work.
Walk on, brave soul, though the way is long.
Never give up.
When the world mocks your courage,
Calling you naive, a child in your hopefulness;
Never give up.
Let your passions raise you far above the clouds of their doubt,
And of your own,
And you will persevere.
Strive ever higher, and you may yet touch a star, strong soul.
Never give up.

I, Myself

Endless nights of sound and fury,
Clawing the nerves of my spine-
Stopping briefly to compress my breast,
And bone, and sinew.
Eyes wide open, glazed with voices.
A shivering creeps to the four winds
Propelled by the breath of my lungs,
of my body, of my soul.
A mad light fills my mouth; overflowing.
A grim smile splits my lips and my face
Tears through the lie
And reveals the feral beast in its natural habitat.

The Stars are in Our Eyes

Soaring on high, through the zephyrus expanse of sky
Heart singing in harmony with the drumming Earth
I am one with my home, and at peace with the Great Mother.
Above, the cosmos dances wildly as we raise our voices in praise
Of life, and of the sheer joy of being here in this land;
Our sacred space carved out of stars and spirit,
Lush and forgiving of our paltry trespasses,
And loving us from the soles of our feet, to our wondering eyes.
I touch down on the mossy ground,
Inhaling the breath of the land, letting the planet fill my starving lungs,
And crouching down, the ground has more stars than the sky.

The Flight of The Morrigan

And from the hearts of men,
Bloodied and glorious as Cú Chulainn,
Sprung daughter of Ernmas,
The Morrigan.
Raven-black wing swept,
The battlefield trembled beneath amber wolf eyes,
Souls of the fallen rose up to lift her wings,
The Babd, The Nemain, and The Morrigan.
The warrior falls to the flash of the blade,
And screams his last war-cry; his call is her name.
Above him she wheels, she dives, and she soars,
The Anu, The Macha, and The Morrigan.
As the sun bleeds its last o’er hills and the heather,
The souls of the dead have dispersed in the ether,
And the whole of the land hears the wings of
The Morrigan.

Matrix Random

I could change my name to Matrix Random,
And I doubt the world would care.
Amalthea Nightwalker,
Ashwood Sky,
Polaxia Greenbriar,
Sylvia Phry.
A name is just a label to tell you briefly of a thing,
The most worthless beggar has one, as well as any King.
Hexia Roanoke,
Octavia March,
Nikki Rono,
Belinda Larch.
Our parents give us names meant to last us all our lives,
After family, friend, or country (and oft for wishful hope).
Miranda Wright,
Cassandra Day,
Or Augustana Pope.
I could change my name to Matrix Random,
And it would fit so well,
It would improve my life, make me unique, and cast its own sweet spell -
But I would change it in a week,
For I’ll be different then than now.
Morrigan Walker,
Arian Tremain,
Vivica Vaulkner,
No name reflects who I’ll be again.

22V22 : I Envy the Girls

I’m jealous of the girls.
The ones that live in pleasant pairs,
White apartment walls dotted with color straight from their hearts.
I’m jealous of the girls with steady, girl jobs
New cars, and new clothes, and matching dishes.
I’m not ones of those girls;
Eager to grow up and spread out.
I’m jealous of their flings, and heartbreaks, too -
Life isn’t all candy, but I’d down the bitters just like you
To be anyone but me.
It’s not my torn clothes, old car, or crumbling brown walls.
It’s not about me, and never was.
It’s about you, over there in the light,
With your life full of things I can’t touch.
Your lack of choice that gives you a choice,
And how I see you choose to soar.
Although you cry and go to bed alone each night,
I envy even the silence of your bedroom.
To for once have something wholly mine;
To choose…
That would be a novel thing indeed.