Me and cliches have a complicated relationship.

Movies on a first date? Sure, maybe unoriginal but not unenjoyable.

I love dramatic proposals at national parks and that sappy one red rose crap. Give me all of the fluffy and awkward cliches of life, I'll eat it up. But when the only door in a windowless hall is locked, and you're running for your life you begin to reevaluate the fabric of the relationship.

/grēd/

noun

1. The world calls to me, it draws me in with whispered promises of happiness and wealth, just one more it promises… just ten more

       a. Drinking up tears like they would turn to pearls in your mouth, grimacing when they dissolved on your lips. Salty kisses no substitute for a mouthful of pearls.

       b. A touch, rough and demanding they turn to gold, furious when their skin refuses to harden under closed fists. Flushed skin can’t compare to the weight of your soul in gold.

       c. A hushed promise of 30 silver pieces for the man you love, raging when they slip through the holes in your hand. A world of kisses can’t compare to knowing it will be the last to grace his cheek.

There's a pounding in my head

The dwarves carve out memories

like diamonds from my mind

The trolls roll carts across the tracks

lumbering forms derailing my thoughts

But my eyes are gemstones cut to size

and a cave never complains

There’s an ache in my body

A dragon curled in the pit of my stomach

My knees buckle under his weight

his smoky breath scorches my lungs

My mouth tastes of ash and soot

But his fire warms my heart

and there is power in my words

and a cave never complains

My hands shake

an avalanche waiting to happen

The giants launch boulders

One rock is all it takes

a flood of mud and stones

and I’m trapped within myself

But my words flow even and sweet

and a cave never complains

I have been hollowed out

Dwarves, Dragons, and Giants

have taken their share

My mind is blank

lost are the gems of brilliance

the tracks are all torn up

My body groans under my own weight

steps unsteady

lungs fighting for one more breath

My hands still tremble

but I’ve boxed myself in

and there are no more words

But still I stand hollow and proud

A mountain never complains