For you, I let down my guard. 

I sacrificed my shield. 

I stripped down walls of steel and stone, 

An opaque heart warily revealed. 

Through darkness, the skeletons climbed free. 

One by one they spewed, 

Almost savagely. 

They sailed the distance from me to you, 

Where riptides of parallel lines invoked a dire deja vu. 

Subtle signs grew bold, 

Trust fell shallow with the dawn of light. 

Once again, regret was mine to hold, 

The battle was mine alone to fight. 

Shadows surround you.

The void threatens to pull you in.

Your own thoughts taunt you,

slipping underneath your skin.

Daylight brings the drums of war,

Disrupting the tranquil haze of sleep.

Again you walk the battleground,

Entranced by the anguished, melancholy beat.

Invisible fragments of warfare drop,

Formed by voices -

articulate and broad.

Tokens of deception exploit your mind,

Contentment gone; unwillingly sacrificed.

Like an unwelcome burst of rain,

The cadence is relentless,

Its echo full of pain.

It's constricting to your lungs,

Takes effort just to breathe.

Suddenly isolation's amplified; it's suffocating.

Oblivion's temptation eclipses survival's worth,

Pure nothingness attractive;

Frigid bones ache to become one with earth.

Yet, like a rose with hidden thorns,

There's deception in the promise.

Those viscous voices in your head have never leveled,

They've never once been honest.

They don't speak of the light within your eyes,

Of the golden heartbeat in your chest.

Never once do they empathize,

knowing your path is twisted;

Distorted more than anyone could guess.

They neglect to mention

your ambition, the power in your drive.

Spitefully, they ignore the purity in your intention,

The generosity in your smile.

The storm is one of doubt,

A one sided view of a two way mirror.

Like seeing in an altered dimension;

Fogged, hazed, perpetually unclear.

It's more than chemicals,

More than synapses firing out of whack.

It's masked, desolate, merciless:

Your very own gun pointed at your back.

A starless sky is the backdrop

On which the carnival stands.

Everyone has long gone home,

Silent is the melody of the band.

Summertime crickets now hold their place,

Bringing rhythm to midnight air.

The Ferris wheel's hues alive,

A striking spectacle of sanguine flair.

A vibrant contrast of bleak and bright,

Unseen to intrusive eyes.

Significance loud as a dove is white,

It is high hopes revived,

the newfound will to fight.

Tears don't protect me,

They're much too hard to hide.

They leave streaks in my makeup,

A ghost in my smile.

Anger won't defend me,

Just ignite the flames from within.

Each release like lightening,

An electric boom that burns my skin.

Speaking can't relieve me,

Spoken words just raise the tide.

Disillusioned, I'm drowning on dry land,

Only earth by my side

Distance is my safeguard,

Stability amidst the wind.

A dependable refuge,

Another hope grown dim.

I don't say the words,

They hide beneath my tongue.

Uncertainly, they remain unspoken;

Side effects of a heart once stung.

They stay caged within me,

Their cadence a reliable tune;

A persistent, driven reminder of

what could've been with you.

I restrain them with caution,

Silence my defense.

If your unsteady touch invades my walls,

Merely a fractured fuse of light will be left.