Imaginary Enemies

Originally written February 2007

They attack from all sides,
there is no escape.
My mind is in overdrive,
keeping me awake.

My nightmares persist,
even with open eyes.
Can I ever hope to have,
what others call a normal life?

Sleep is poisoned,
with deceptive words.
I'm infected with venom,
for which there is no cure.

Heart beats faster and faster,
struggling to break free.
Why is it no one else fears,
the monsters that I see?

They're not real...

The seed of courage is planted,
with a bit of care it will grow.
These imaginary enemies,
will no longer have their hold.

Medication,
keeps them at bay.
Locked up in small cages,
where they can't get away.

I have no prescription,
I haven't been to the doctor.
There is only you,
and the protection you offer.

You have become my hero,
the conqueror of evil.
You've defeated my imaginary enemies,
and restored my power of will.

Your warmth chases back all shadows,
your kiss fills me with life.
I'll forever be your princess,
for as long as you're my knight.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Originally written March 4, 2007

I scream because someone opened the blinds and let the sunlight in on my darkened world.

Revealing the demons I reasoned didn't exist because invisible.

At least that's what I believed.
     – What I couldn't see couldn't cause me harm.

It's only now I see how wrong I was.

I've been wounded many times over, but wounds unseen remained wounds unfelt.

Pure yellow light now illuminates every corner of my own private hell, reflecting off every drop of blood – my blood – that seems to cover everything.

Highlighting the poisons that drip from demons' fang and claw.

Crippling pain is now all I feel, unable to look away from the tattered shell that is my body.

How is it possible I have undergone so much and I still stand?

For only a second mere amazement overrides the pain.
     – Quiets the screaming of my soul.

Just like that the peace is gone. 

The burning of the venom flowing through my veins forces me to my knees as the demons circle eagerly.

Long have they waited to be seen, to be felt, to be feared.

Hiding in the shadows had its advantages; for what better way to strike repeatedly, infecting their victims one by one.

But now they have been brought forth they can never again be forced to live in the darkness; to be played off as nothing more than figments of an overactive imagination.

They have been given flesh and blood and they intend to shred that of the fearful humans, like myself.

Those foolish enough to believe the darkness will protect them are destined to die.

I know now that I already have and this is my new home.

I revel in the few moments of quiet as my vision grows dark and my memory fades.

Before long we will be back to act one and I will once again play the part of the fool.

Forever stuck in my last first moments of clarity.