AmongTheDamned

Hey, Old Friend, How ya been? Today I heard the news Of your tragic end. They beat you down And pushed you around. Your heart blue with bruise, You escaped into the ground. Rest easy now, my comrade; It's my turn to be sad. My mind's a raging storm, And it's raining on this notepad. Your life was full of hurt (We're cursed, us introverts). You who kept me warm, Now lay beneath the dirt.

You take away my burdens, And release me from my chains. You take away the hurting, And relieve me of my pain. I've grown so close to you, My bittersweet companion. You heal these grievous wounds, And I struggle in your absence. My friends say you're corrupting me, But they can't understand. Without your blissful ecstasy, Life gets so damn bland. But where'd my sense of freedom go? On you I now depend. At long last I've grown to know, That you're a shitty friend.

They say that at the end of the tunnel there's a light, At the end of the journey a relief from this plight. My weary feet carry my forward, further into the dark And in this journey I will make my mark. The encroaching darkness smothers my soul; It sputters and spits like a dying coal. What, then, keeps this ember alive? It's you, my brother, that gives me the will to survive. When I find myself enclosed in the gloom of my despair, I take comfort in knowing that you'll always be there. Though the solace of rest is far off in the distance, I'm at peace with the present knowing I have your assistance. Thanks for being there to lighten my load.

He cinches his combat boots tight, tying the laces with haste. Standing back up from his kneeling position on the carpeted floor of his apartment's single bedroom, he smooths out his wrinkled camouflage chinos. Tattoos stretch up his arms, disappearing beneath short sleeves of his Black Flag* t-shirt. He's not very tall, but that doesn't take away from his intimidating appearance; the pine-green Mohawk does, after all, add several inches.     He grabs his skateboard from its leaning position against the wall, then exits his poster-laden bedroom and makes his way down the long, narrow hallway of his apartment. He strides out the front door of

I've got a badge and I've got a gun. They're my state-issued licenses for mischief and fun. If I get bored I'll kick someone's ass, Read them their rights and throw 'em in the back. I'm not racist, but I keep my eyes on the minorities, Stop them on the sidewalk and draw my .40. I'm a uniformed bully, I do as I please. I steal, I assault, I abuse, I seize.

War, violence, pain. They're all the same. They all bring depression, I hate the aggression. Don't any of you realize, That all we need is peace?

Teeth gnashing. Eyes flashing. Claws tearing. Jaws snaring. You can't run. You can't hide. This creature from hell Lives inside your mind.

The man on the roadside stops my car. He demands money. I fork over the currency, And he sends me on my way. I drive off, the tollbooth shrinking away in my rearview.