I am empty. After decades I am charred and abandoned. I no longer have a family. They are gone, yet still here — folded into my wooden framing, mounds of ash still warm from the fire. They no longer bustle through my halls or dance in my rooms. My walls wail; the floorboards ache to creak under the pressure of life. They, too, have suffered — raked by the fire’s talons, devoured by its lashing tee...

Soap?

Oh, I know—

is it

a rope?

No.

I hope

you see it.

Low, the cloud flows—

a rowboat

in the wind,

blown

to and fro,

not sure

if it will stay

or go.

A nose.

His nose!

It grows and grows—

Pinocchio!

No?

Snow.

That’s it.

Snow!

How it glows.

Like a cone,

or fluffy dough,

or foam.

Foam.

That’s both—

snow and foam.

Joe?

I’m right—

I know.

...

A bellowing wail

escapes my quivering lips,

a yearning cry

my heart rips.

I’ve fallen so far—

so distant,

so removed.

I plead with myself:

Move.

Move.

Move.

Move!

A scream from inside

that dies on my tongue,

pressing my teeth,

propelled by my lungs.

It twists into a bellow,

rising toward the expanse—

the bruised-blue sky,

the green of restless dance.

Help me find meaning,

a purpose,

a plan.

...

Stop

Time needs to

Stop.

I pop

a pill

so the clock will

Stop.

On top

a roof,

they try to

rob

me of the

Stop.

I sob,

I need to

lob

myself

from on top.

“Stop!” they yell.

But the clock

won’t stop.

The clock won't

stop.

The clock won't

stop.

I need the clock to

stop

On top the roof.

A way to

stop.

A way to

stop.

A way to stop.

The ticking clock

needs to stop.

Please don't

drop.

Please don'...

The bird continues its sharp chirps. It's trying to keep me up. I know it. Its curved eyes stare, watching me intently from outside. Pupil's glow as it shrieks once more.

It looks kind of like a raven, but the sides of its mouth tilt upward in a grin. It has been little over an hour since its arrival outside my bedroom window. A little over an hour.

The window is not large. About the size of a s...

A secret maze

hidden deep within

I grin

I grin

I grin

A secret maze

I try to solve

With no resolve

It all dissolves

Twists and turns

It hurts

It hurts

I don't deserve this

Underneath the surface

The maze is crashing

Walls are clashing

HELP!

I grin

I grin

I grin

Emotions contained within

Don't feel

Just seal

Contain

In the maze...

My mind is like a garden, my thoughts are seeds.

I can grow flowers, or I can grow weeds.

Dwelling in the extremes

The soil does rot

Sprouting insects of darkness

Who bite at the crop

They eat at the grain

Grow glades of pain

Slashing

Cutting

Until one plant remains

A seed so dark

An idea so sweet

Erase the whole garden

Wipe out every leaf

Then sun shoots up

amidst the crying sky

To return me ...

They don’t know me.

No one does.

They see my screen,

not the machine.

I am broken,

yet seem fine.

A storm of feeling

rages inside.

Subside.

Subside.

I cry

and cry—

but the deathly darkness

still survives....

You've been holding on for too long. Your hands are cracked and bloodied while the rope slowly dwindles away, ready to snap. How long can you keep pulling? How long until it breaks? It hurts. The rope burns your skin, as the fibers slowly slide across your palm. You are pulling a mountain. It will never move. But will you? Will you stop this futile battle? You are not alone. They are with you. The...

Where are they? I try to take a deep breath. It shakes as I exhale. Where are they? I don't see them. They said they would come. But they aren't here. They probably went somewhere else. Without me. My fingers twitch as I bring my palm to my chin. They are probably having fun.

But... what if they have too much fun. My head throbs. I bring my hand down and sink my nails into my pant leg, slowly pul...