Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.
My mind is but my enemy
and my friends are but my foes
Kept at a distance lest scare them with my pangs
The black of my heart,
The red of my gaze,
and the blue, oxygen deprived flow of my blood
Spill my blood and you cause me no harm.
Breath comes easier in the wake of the blade.
Raise your hand and I will raise my head to meet your palm.
The pain inflicted by my friend is greater than that of my foe.
My demons play blindly, recklessly screeching-their footsteps a dull roar in my heart.
Screaming, weeping, their black eyes beg for attention.
Their claws find purchase on my skin.
The empty-ness in my pupils barely matches the darkness that coils from the tip of my tongue
Whispers shroud my focus
Shadows sway my line of sight
Temptation is a cruel mistress.
The poker table seats both saints and sinners alike.
The devil calls for a check.
I place my bet.
Gabriel calls my bluff.
My, my this game is gilded rough.
My chips are all in
I have nothing left to give
I look death in the face
leveling him with my gaze
For once my eyes are clear as the devil hears the words I’ve always feared.
“I fold.”