The Dark Walk
A short book of poetry.
By Stephen Shaffer
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Gone
Silence
The world is silent
They breathe as one
Then it comes
The “Feeling”
The Thing
The Entity
They sing
A song of hope
A song of pain
As they die
They also gain
A sense of self
The power of death
In their hands
They use it grand
And then they go
And on it flows
Gone
Free
Bodies
Crusting, mussing
Aging, raging
They corrode
And grow old
Husks, shells
Temporary hells
For the soul
Is the only hold
We will fly
When we die
And will soar
Rich or poor
To the clouds
And say aloud
“I’m Free”
Power
Corrupting, erupting
Holding, eroding
It makes you buy
It makes you die
Inside your mind
No need to be kind
Unless you hold on
To sane you belong
For knowledge old
Is never sold
It is powerful
A greater pull
To hold on
You must don
A mantle gone
Protector
Of Knowledge Older
Power Holder
Bereft
Gone
Fluttering away
On the breathe of my life
Flown today
From my life
All my friends
All this strife
Never ends
I lost them
They all left me
My love, my siblings
They all fly free
Free of concern
For what happens to me
Gone they are
They leave me
Bereft
Of Hope,
And Love…
React
Poked
Prodded
Punished
Rodded
None of this makes
A muscle twitch
A tongue itch
But when you take
My friends
I react
With an angry roar
And get rid of your useless life
I react like an animal
Taking you out of the picture
Your taint cannot be endured anymore
We must cleanse ourselves of you
React
Die
Live
Breathe
React
Death
Never pretty,
Sometimes shitty,
In the country or the city,
Always pitied,
But sometimes enjoyed.
The passing of a loved one,
Or maybe just a known one.
Life’s game is never won,
But it can still be fun,
Death’s hand never void.
But why cry over it?
Why scream like you’ve been hit?
Death may be sad,
But is it really that bad?
It’s probably a release for most.
You may ask why,
I say that we shouldn’t cry,
And my reasons are simple,
Why be sad that life is over if the pain is gone too?
Popped like a giant pimple…
And being able to coast,
To Peace.
Forsaken
I watch as this world dies slowly,
I feel the pain, as if it’s so very lonely,
But I stay where I sit with you,
For the sight of you with love imbue,
My lifeless hulk of flesh and blood,
And the flower of feeling revives and buds,
Causing me to forget all the pain,
The thing from which I draw my name,
Never again will I notice the pain,
That causes so much blood to rain,
For lying with you in my embrace,
Does cause All bad thoughts to erase,
Leaving only one in their place,
Never will you be Forsaken
If…
If you really loved me,
I wouldn’t have to cry,
Listening to your anger,
You make me want to die.
If you truly loved me,
You wouldn’t scream and shout,
Throwing things at me,
Telling me, “Get OUT!”,
If you could have loved me,
You wouldn’t have hurt me so,
Cheating day and night,
Thinking it didn’t show,
If you would have loved me,
This wouldn’t be your grave,
Upon which I am standing,
The best I could have gave,
Now that you can’t love me,
I guess I’m free to go,
I carry my grief with me,
I hope it doesn’t show…
The Midnight Lover
As the Darkness parts,
I hear your heart,
So close to mine,
Our souls entwined,
I smile in joy,
As I listen to you breathe,
Your skin against mine,
Feels fire wreathed,
I kiss your lips,
Soft against mine,
The taste of your skin,
Like the sweetest wine,
I nip your throat,
Gentle as silk,
To my body,
You are by our love pinned,
I run my fingers,
Slowly through your hair,
I kiss your eyes,
Their hue a beauty rare,
I whisper,
You shall be mine tonight,
My soul and yours,
Until dawning light,
Fused together,
In a bright glow,
Until leave I must,
At the cock’s crow,
But I shall return,
To hold you in my arms,
And share our sweet love,
That nothing harms.
Forever
Did I ever say,
How much you mean to me?
Or how you swim through my mind,
Like a fish in the sea,
Every day,
And all night long,
I hear your voice,
And I feel strong,
Like I can do anything,
Even lift a car,
But I don’t think I’ve said,
How important you are,
You’re like the air I breathe,
Or the naps I take in class,
Without you, I couldn’t live,
So please don’t leave my ass.
Cause I always want you,
In my arms and in my heart,
So I can whisper everything’s okay,
And nothing will keep us apart.
Not a boy not a girl,
Not a thing in the world,
Because your mine forever,
My sweet flower,
To keep you,
I’d call on all the powers,
Godlike, Demonic, Earthly,
Any that worked,
As long as I could keep you,
I’d give up the world.
So rest your head,
Don’t cry anymore tears,
Everything will be the same tomorrow,
Your hopes, minus your fears.
Darkness Within
I can feel it clawing at me,
There’s only one thing this pain could be,
Get away from me while you still have a chance,
Before the Darkness Within fulfills it’s plans.
As I fall to the ground,
I know it’s too late,
I feel the Darkness take over,
Defying the Fates,
I watch helplessly from behind my own eyes,
As it grabs my love by her beauteous raven locks,
Tossing her out the window,
Her body breaking on the rocks,
And as it recedes,
I am left to wallow in the pain of a shattered heart…
I can feel it clawing at me,
There’s only one thing this pain could be,
Run for your life before it takes over,
The Darkness Within has already taken my lover…
Next it surprises me,
While I chat with my kin,
More Darkness inside,
Than I thought there could have been.
No time to react,
As my Brother’s head jerks with a snap,
I watch his body crumple to the floor,
And feel my sanity slipping even more.
I can feel it clawing at me,
There’s only one thing this pain could be,
Add another death to my life,
My Brother and my wife…
This time I have no chance to see,
The Darkness now swelling in me.
My sister’s eyes will haunt me evermore,
As she lay there,
Her blood covering the floor…
I can feel it clawing at me,
There’s only one thing this pain could be,
Sanity is now far from my mind,
Why can’t murder be repaid in kind?
Life has no more meaning to me,
I’ve already lost my family,
Why bother fighting it anymore?
This darkness possesses me to the very core…
Now this is ridiculous, why can’t I stop?
Insanity is supposed to be seen by a cop,
Or somebody else, anyone but me,
But no one but I knows what to see,
Come to think, it’s not alien, but right,
Almost as if insanity isn’t a fight,
But rather a joining of two bones,
Oh God; We’re the insane ones!
A Place To Be
I don’t want a million dollars,
Or a yacht to sail the sea,
I don’t want a brand new car,
I just want a place to be.
Somewhere I belong,
Where I feel at home,
But I’ve never had one of those,
My instinct is to roam,
Not just in a physical way,
But a mental one too,
And emotionally?
I never know what to do,
I find it hard to relate,
To people who are filled with hate,
Maybe because they’re just like me?
As anyone who meets me can see.
But my main problem,
Is that no one person,
Can see my mind,
In all it’s glorious arson,
A mind set ablaze by years of Darkness,
Clashing with light.
No one sees all my evil,
Every one of you are blind, people!
Now it’s a new day, cloudy and bright,
Maybe I’ll get mugged tonight,
Or maybe I’ll make a new friend,
I won’t know til the end.
Or maybe, I’ll find a place to be,
And stop wandering around this dark city.
I’ll stay for the night and make myself at home,
Knowing I don’t have to roam.
I’ll fall asleep with a feeling of safety,
Knowing I’m loved, I’ll sleep like a baby.
And dream for once, of something more than this,
Maybe this time, I’ll dream of a kiss.
The Dark Angels Come
Burning the world, destroying the city,
Mutilate the bodies, feel no pity.
You giggle with glee,
Just, so many bodies.
Don’t try to stop us; you’ll just end up dead.
I’ll feel no remorse as I tear off your head.
Sin for a sin, a life for a life.
I atone all your evil, with the work of my knife.
Out of every single window or door,
Hangs 3 bodies, sometimes more.
Some of them moan, some are still,
Watching me roam at my will,
In the armour I wear, black as my heart.
Allowing me to through the shadows dart.
On the army marches, stirring up dust,
Sensing the sins of those who Lust.
The Greedy, the Envious, the Wrathful masses,
So Prideful, so Gluttonous, so Lazy, as it passes.
It is out mission to extinguish all sin,
For this world is with sin rife.
Hacking, slashing, spraying gore,
But ever there seems to be more.
Our work is holy, our mission sacred.
Our faces alight with vicious hatred.
We cannot stand you stinking refuse,
Unsure how some could have confused,
Our black-clad forces for malicious intent.
A sign of evil in such malcontents..
You screamed in horror, called us demons,
And attacked us without reasons.
Angels we are, but so clouded your vision,
Your forces attack in a frightful collision.
Our swords flashing, we move ever forward,
The raining blood making your vision blurred.
You scream in horror as our swords flash,
Yet not a one of us has even a gash.
There is nothing you can do to stop us,
Your guns are useless, little but rust.
Soon we will be done,
With the holy work that makes you run.
But remember this and quake with fear,
We watch always what happens here.
Hope For Man
As our marching boots churn the earth,
I watch the scum of this place staring in awe at our spotless armor.
As I walk from the legion, I notice a young boy watching me.
I approach him, my contorted and demonic face revealed from under my hood.
The boy flinches not as the sight, but sticks out his chest,
And says that he will make us leave his home.
I simply smile and walk away, my pointed teeth glinting.
As the legion would march off, I feel that these creatures have some hope after all.
Mankind is not gone yet, not with that boy to help them.
A Fragile Thing
Why do you cling so tightly,
To this thing that keeps you unsprightly?
Every person under it’s will,
Given the very evil power to Kill.
By this very vicious power,
They gain the urge to make you cower.
But they know to fear my sting,
For their life is a Fragile Thing.
What is a Fragile Thing you may ask?
It is a power, like a mask.
It covers up and hides it’s nature,
And skirts away from nomenclature,
Then bursts upon us loud and bright,
And slinking away to seek the light,
And unless protected by my power,
Love is slain under it’s glower.
And then is revealed by it’s cower,
To be a Fragile Thing, within my power,
But know always, my sweet little Flower,
That protected are you, by my power.
Ruthless
The first time it happened, it was like a dream…
The second time I realized nothing is what it seems…
By the fifth time I was screaming inside,
By the tenth I knew that all I could do was hide…
Walking down the hallway, first day of third Grade,
My shirt’s on the right way, my lunch all packed and made,
When some guy comes over, pushes me down and takes my food,
And I had this feeling, things wouldn’t turn out good.
They told me I ripped out his hair and gave him a concussion,
But I swear, I didn’t do nothin’,
They say I left him bleeding on the floor,
But what else are bullies good for?
I can feel it coming up, and that’s not good,
When I wake up, I feel the same, I knew I would,
But waking my demons is the dumbest thing you could do,
Cause the Monster inside is Cold and Ruthless…
The next time was in sixth Grade, I was at a new school.
None of the kids knew me, they thought I wasn’t cool,
So they took my money and ripped my shirt,
And then my demons made them hurt.
I didn’t tell them to, I didn’t want it,
I wanted to start new and not flaunt it,
But the demons took those boys and used them up,
Then spit them out in bloody chunks.
When the teacher found us, I was crying on the floor,
And one of the boys wasn’t alive anymore.
The other two looked like raw meat,
And one didn’t have any feet,
The nurse sent them home and sent me to the principal,
The stupid bastard suspended me from school.
So I grabbed him by his tie and hung him from the roof,
Just as extra credit, a little more proof,
That you don’t fuck with my demons.
I can feel it coming up, and that’s not good,
When I wake up, I feel the same, I knew I would,
But waking my demons is the dumbest thing you could do,
Cause the Monster inside is Cold and Ruthless…
The last time it happened, I left him hanging from the walls,
In three even pieces, and he wasn’t that small,
I bled him out like a pig twice my size,
And all the time I was screaming, behind my own eyes.
I didn’t want him to die,
I didn’t like it,
But it seems like I have to,
Whenever I get hit,
I left him there in that room,
And felt the darkness that loomed,
Fade away and give me peace,
Save me god…. Please…
I can feel it coming up, and that’s not good,
When I wake up, I feel the same, I knew I would,
But waking my demons is the dumbest thing you could do,
Cause the Monster inside is Cold and Ruthless…
Taunted
Momma always said,
I’d have my pick of the world,
But the only one I’ve ever wanted,
Was only… you…
As I lay here on my bed,
So dark and lonely…
In my dreams I’m taunted…
By only you…
Taunted, haunted,
By the ghost of your face,
Followed, hollowed,
By what we had,
And now I just sit here,
Writing this song,
For the first girl I ever truly loved,
An eternity wouldn’t be too long,
To have a love like ours,
But what we had was a lie,
You left me jaunted,
Your cruelty vaunted…
I spend every day, on the same lonely streets,
I walk every day, on these tired old feet,
Once long ago, my life was full of joy,
There was no other happier boy,
But you made me a man,
The only way you could,
You broke my heart,
Just like I should have known you would…
Taunted, haunted,
By the ghost of your face,
Followed, hollowed,
By what we had,
And now I just sit here,
Writing this song,
For the first girl I ever truly loved,
An eternity wouldn’t be too long,
To have a love like ours,
But what we had was a lie,
You left me jaunted,
Your cruelty vaunted…
I don’t know what else to say,
You turned my night to day,
I thought you were going to be the one,
And now, suddenly, you’re gone…
You left me cold and frightened,
The world became a very bitter place,
I used to be able to be brave, true,
But I don’t know if I can without you…
Taunted, haunted,
By the ghost of your face,
Followed, hollowed,
By what we had,
And now I just sit here,
Writing this song,
For the first girl I ever truly loved,
An eternity wouldn’t be too long,
To have a love like ours,
But what we had was a lie,
You left me jaunted,
Your cruelty vaunted…
I thought we were in love,
Our hearts twined into one,
But I guess I was the fool,
To think it was more than fun,
You were like my very own drug,
You could make me whatever you wanted,
With as little as a good hug,
Now, I’m just… Taunted…
By the sound of your voice,
In all my dreams,
Just beyond the next choice,
Is my only love…
You left me taunted,
You left me haunted,
But I don’t need your face anymore.
Now it’s the face of a whore,
You left me for drugs and money,
And those don’t cut it honey.
I don’t need you back, or even want you.
Not after what you put me through…
So I’m…
Taunted!
Haunted!
My life a disgrace!
Followed!
Hollowed!
By the way you left me
Now I just watch the world,
Into a ball, my soul has curled,
I don’t wanted you back,
I just want you gone.
I don’t need you anymore,
Cause after dawn, I’m not going to be…
Taunted…. or Haunted….
Author’s.. Note?
Welcome to the end of the book my friends. I hope you enjoyed what you just read, and I hope that you’ll read some more of my work, available here, at my Personal Smashwords Book Page. I have to say, it was a pleasure writing this book, and I hope that you found it a pleasure to read. I plan to one day write many more like it, but this is my first, and so if you’re reading this, you’re one of the most important readers I’ll ever have, because you believed in me enough to read this far into my first, most amateur work. For that, I can’t even begin to thank you.
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