Trapped in this mad carnival,
This asylum of children where
Nothing has more meaning than
An empty sidewalk, or lilting
Raindrops on a barren windowsill.
Everything I’ve known, unseen
By other eyes that hold only
Frozen comfort.

In this land of copper carpets
And lurid lights.
This paradise of the body
Where no mind can breathe,
No heart can beat slowly
Where bands of rain play for
Deserted parking lots,
I am home.

No I can’t sell out, I
Never bought in.
When money is the currency of the heart,
And millions dance in pointed circles.
Where the land of dreams meets
The devouring sea.
Where the skies of hope touch
The waters of fire,
The colors of death.

The young mare, untainted by
Any stallions hand.
Runs off in search of
Mechanical mountains and is
Lost in the digital seas.
Where the dark is lost to
The light, there are no
Stars to wish upon.

Where time is lost to
Forgotten memories.
When the nightmare hour kisses
The hopeful dawn.
What madness should love,
A life with no soul.
Who dances in fire
Is always cold.

My languid body, my broken mind
If you could put me back together
I don’t think you would.
All signals are lost in this
Muted haze.
The graying smoke rings
Float away.
While the cracks in the sky
Bleed my body.

Leaves that lie, that pawn off
Freedom like a sick dog.
Where bridges lead only
One way, and streetlights
Plead for the bright of day.
When the hollow spirit is
Filled with poison,
I sleep under molten skies.

The tongue is tied, the words
Are clear but the body revolts
Against an honest rhyme.
A life that begs for air to breathe,
But fed only numbing tales
Of freedom to rise, to live for
Myself, if only I could be
Who was meant to be.

You cannot see, in crowds of hulks,
Where I’ve never known one
Person I’ve met.
Where hulking desire meets the
Shallow mind.
When nothing exists only in me,
When feeling has left when
Passion has died,
I am home.

Where does this winding path,
This final penance that was
Thrust upon me.
Where now does it cry
Where now does it languish
Where silent night comes
Only in deafness, and the
Mute laugh at empty words.

How does the world that dances
In rushing darkness,
How does the world that breathes
In crushing blackness.
How does the world that swims
In porous oceans.
How does the mantle not
Pass to me.

I’ve known every color, I’ve
Felt every shade.
In this mad carnival,
Where the masks never come off.
Where the mirrors reflect
No more than they see.
Where the absence of life
Makes me feel alive
I am home.