jonathan_wolfe
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Posts posted by jonathan_wolfe
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Utopia’s Twilight
Part 1 – Resonance
Chapter 2 – Haven
Light. If the trio were not used the sight, it would be indeed a great shock to see the blue-sky overhead. They stepped out of the alcove the doorway was set in, and walked out into Foxhaven. Behind them was the barrier wall and what looked like endless rolling terrain far beyond. Clouds slowly trundled through the sky, the sun gleaming joyfully on the land. Ahead was a large settlement; it’s size hard to judge, the forest swallowing parts of the city into itself. The only obvious signs of a city were the apartment communes that were built around the city centre. All sorts of people walked the streets. There were the construction workers who were making an addition to the east side of Foxhaven starting their shift, a good number of people headed west to the city centre where the council and university were located. A large majority of the people were foxes, but wolves also made up a good part of the population. Other less substantial populations, the various types of canines and felines, existed as clans in the forests to the south. The chatter of numerous languages as could be heard as they walked the streets.
James sniffed the air and flexed his ears, smiling and waving to some fellow military staff that were headed east to the exit. Ahead was the university and underneath was the military HQ, a tight mass of information and high-ranking decision makers. Underneath that was the “Garage” a large cavern, not lit by a holo-sky like this level, but housed all the military hardware that these people possessed.
“Aww, crap!” Roley shouted, kicking the ground in anger, “I just remembered something.”
Chels looked up at Roley, James turned his head,
“What?” He asked.
“I left my wheels at the base, after I took all that time to “borrow” it from a Shogomiitsu auto yard! Dammit!”
Chels cocked one ear and frowned,
“That’s it? I didn’t think you could get so worked up over a buggy.”
”Hey, a man’s wheels are right up there with a good firearm, a can o’ beer and a lovely lady in his lap, aircars pshaw! My daring escapes shall be either in a urban buggy, or one friggin’ tripped out motorcycle!” Chels looked at James with a disdained look in her eyes. James just shrugged,
“Roley is not the representation on the general public, trust me.”
“Oh, I know, I just wonder how worn his cheek fur is from getting slapped so many times.” Chels commented.
“The sacrifices we must make…” Roley began
“Want another mark on that cheek Roley?” Chels threatened.
Roley yelped and moved away from Chels,
“Uhh… I’ll just continue walking this direction and say no more.”
Chels folded her arms and flicked her ears,
“Good. Let’s hope it stays that way.”
“What the hell is with that woman? She should be swooning under my manly charm!” Roley whispered over the comm.
"Whole new playing field to land this one, for starters, you’ve never tried to court a military girl. I suggest you rethink your courtship strategies before you make another move.”
They continued on, reaching the steps of the University. There were three double doors set into the entrance arch of the main building. They went through the centre set and walked down the hallway. Students, professors, scientists. This was the hub of Foxhaven and it was alive with a spark of life and wisdom never seen in ages. After walking down the hallway, they reached the government wing, underneath which was military HQ. The council was in session and the sounds of a heated debate could be heard coming from within.
“Mr Speaker, would the Councillor please explain the continued escalation of our armed forces program. We have no need for a larger military force at this time. We are not the ones who are fighting the war in the streets; our friends from TALAR are doing an excellent job of active rebellion. I’m asking him to explain the expanded recruitment and arming plan now in effect.” Came a loud and commanding voice from within. James stopped and looked through the half open door and into the room. Within, he could see his mother, Miriam, taking her seat after making the pronunciation just a few seconds ago. On the opposite side of the room, a middle-aged wolf stood up and cleared his throat.
“Mr Speaker, the expansion of the recruitment and rearmament program is in advance of the projected crackdown that proceeds within two years of major rebellion. We need to ensure not only the protection of Foxhaven but to be able to guarantee its survival in a direct assault situation. When the Regime comes for us, we will stop them dead in their tracks. It’s only a matter of time.”
He sat down to mild applause and another person stood up and began to talk. James moved away from the door and continued down the hallway on the right. Roley was already near the elevators, waiting for James and Chels, who was still next to James.
“Looks like those two are getting along just fine.” Chels said as the walked down the hallway, their boots clacking on the polished stone floor.
“They’re always like that, even in private, you’d think they’d be at each other’s throats but they seem to enjoy being kept in check by the other.” James replied nodding to Roley as they walked into an open elevator.
“Going down.” Roley said, chuckling. Chels just looked at James with a pained look in her eyes and he shrugged in return.
The elevator was open walled, only a steel cage guarding the sides. The walls moved by, shades of white and grey. A short while and then the sides gave way to open air and the dimly lit floor of the Garage could be seen almost 200 meters below them. Huge LED spotlights washed the work floors, revealing half-finished metal hulks and various machines undergoing repairs. In the middle, built into the massive support pylon was the headquarters of Foxxfire, the military guard of Foxhaven. The elevator came to a stop at ground level and the trio got out of the cage, followed by a few other Foxxfire personnel. Catwalks on either side of the walkway they were on led to the workfloors they saw from above. To their left, they could hear a fusion turbine being ignitioned, a large power cable leading from the top of the turbine and into a larger building about 200 feet down. The sound was a harmony of rising thrums and electrical charge. This ignition sequence went on for 10 seconds, when the displays on the turbine lit up and the cable disengaged. The turbine was under it’s own power and would probably stay on for at least a year of operation before maintenance and repair. There was also, a squad of new mecha being moved from the assembly yard and into the hangars, the whine of hydraulics could be heard as the second mecha was raised into a standing position, towering 25 feet over the catwalk. The mecha, looked like a heavily armoured soldier, although scaled to tower over most vehicles and carry weapons with firepower equal to that of tanks. The robot drifted to life and lifted itself out of the cradle, beginning to walk down alongside the catwalk, towards the hangars, making the ground shake as it plodded by, the hydraulics whining loudly as the cradle dropped to take in the next robot.
“Lt 130 Ranger, ooh what a beaut” Roley commented, holding his hand to his faceplate as he watched the robot stride into the hangar, “That guy’ll run circle’s around Templars, and have enough time to knock the heads off of ‘em with the snipes.”
Ahead of them was the tall HQ building, simple and Spartan in design, the command and control centre of Foxhaven’s defenses. The trio walked through sets of heavy double doors and into the expansive atrium of the military base. The floor was abuzz with life as soldiers moved from different levels of the building, it was particularly busy because of the watch change, many soldiers coming from barracks or from home to the base for duties. There was also a large amount of people working away at desks, working on low-level intelligence and communication tasks. Beyond the floor was a large set of metal stairwells set inside a metal cage, winding their way up into the ceiling of the atrium, with high-capacity elevators lining either side of it. There were a few who knew the trio and called out greetings as they passed, the morning shift had a mood of uplifted optimism as slowly, each espionage team arrived for debriefing. To one side was a glass-walled office, inside was a middle-aged wolf with Brigadier General ranks on his arm band. He looked up and nodded to James and Chels, Roley was lagging behind, stumbling across a group of friends.
“Lieutenants Wolfe and Furlough, good to see you again.” The wolf looked at his watch and nodded, “And as per the timeframe outlined last night, I take it the mission was successful.”
James nodded, “Yes sir,” and unclipped the fuel cells from his suit and placed them on the ground, placing one on the B. General’s desk, “Northern Cross’ tip-off was completely accurate, four of Shogomiitsu’s FR-08’s were waiting in the strongbox.”
The General nodded again and toggle his intercom,
“Sergeant, we’ve got four fuel cells to be put into level 3 lockup, see to their delivery.”
“Yes General” crackled the intercom. The General rubbed his chin in though and looked up at the pair,
“And where is our good friend Sergeant Roley at this time? We calculated that his role in this mission should not have be detrimental regardless of circumstance and how sober he was.”
Chels gave a sly grin and her ears tilted outwards,
“He was more than useful. He won’t admit it, but he knows just the right amount of havoc to distract an entire base, but not enough to bring things into total lockdown. He really made our job easier today.”
The General nodded in statisfaction and began to tap at the computer on his desk,
“Excellent, now for the last part. Casualties?”
James stepped forward and held his right palm against his chest and held up his left arm,
“All casualties were non-lethal. They should be waking up in a few days from now with the mother of all headaches though. I cannot account for what occured during Sergeant Roley's diversion however.”
The wolf raised an eyebrow and grinned, “This mission has truly been a success. Excellent, you’ve all earned a few days of leave for now. I’ll let Dunrick know how well you’ve done. Dismissed!”
The two foxes bowed and ducked back out, the General called out to them,
“And tell that mangy drunkard to get his tail in here before I feed him to the Horde!”
James chuckled and looked around for the socalled mangy drunkard,
“The Sergeant must’ve gone out for a beer with Brig and company. I’ll track him down, I guess you can head’er home if you want.”
Chels nodded and ran a paw through her short blue hair, mucked up a bit by the morning's exursions, “After we eat, though, I really need to get washed up, those suits are a sweaty mess at the best of times.”
---
“So these guys didn’t even understand the concept of taking cover. It was like a videogame with crappy AI. They’d all stand next to each other and trip the full autos on me. Hah… I mean a friggin’ glass statue could’ve been in their line of fire and nothin’ would happen.” Roley said, chugging down more of his beer, recalling his tale to three others sitting at his table. The one on his left, drinking the same brand of beer, towered over the rest of the group, being a Maned Wolf. A patch over one eye and a grin as big as Roley’s was on his face,
“Oy’ Sucks when they don’t give ya a fair fight hmm? So lemme guess, ya gave ‘em the ol’ firearms 101 didncha?” The maned wolf laughed uproariously, this scenario had obviously played itself out before.
“Indeed I did Brigadine, Indeed I did. In fact, these were the best recruits I have had the honor of teaching. One of ‘em sparked two brain cells together and tossed back my ‘nade. Right at my feet too! I would’ve given it the ole kickback, to show the kid that you need to wait till the right moment. But I’ll be damned if James doesn’t come on the com questioning my battle tactics… Well I’ll be damned if I didn’t get blown right on my ass.”
The one in the middle spoke up, “Screw around on the battle field long enough, you get what’s coming to you. Is that the 8th time you’ve been caught in a massive explosion now?”
“9th, Seth, there was a smart one right at the beginning. Waited for the hallway to clear and tossed a wonderful anti–tank rocket my way. He got an earful about how long it takes to polish this sucker.” The table burst into laughter. By this time, James had come across the group and began to approach, giving a quick two finger wave to Seth and the others.
The fox on the far right piped up, “Welcome back James. Roley was just telling us of the trials and tribulations of the mission, sounds like a rousing success.” James nodded, beginning to swish his tail left and right,
“Like shooting fish in the sea, plain simple. The hardest part was trying not to laugh at what came flying through the intercom. I know Roley for havoc, but what he did today was sheer brilliance.” James said, putting a hand on Roley’s shoulder, whispering into his ear,
“And if you want any chance of getting your railer back, Rol, I’d go report to the General, yesterday.”
Roley made a distressed noise and burst from his chair, stumbling between the tables, swearing in a strange dialect, making his way to the exit.
“He sur’ does make up for the suit, I haven’t seen a more foolhardy man. Throw himself into situations like that. Relatively a superhero in this day and age, tho hardly an image for the revolution” Brigadine commented, slugging his drink and reclining in the cheap plastic chair, “He’s going to get himself killed ro’it, and he’s going to be bitching about the ruined paint job and flat beer till his last breath.” He continued, having the general attention of the table now, “But what do we care, uh? He’s going to have the finest time of his life. He always does.”
“Brig, you've had too much beer now” Vincent declared, sipping his own strange cocktail and rubbing his muzzle pensively, “We should get back home, we’ve got some pre-combat conditioning for the next three days before we’re allowed back on the surface-“ Brigadine let loose a loud belch, causing him to pause for a second,
“I hope you enjoy your leave. Let Roley know we’re always willing to share a Jata stick over some alcohol, alright?”
James nodded distractedly, “Course… sure we’ll let him know. You three take care alright?”
Brigadine got to his feet, towering over the table and grinning, “Will do” and he sauntered away, Vincent silently following.
Seth got to his feet and adjusted his glasses,
“Any hitches James?”
He shook his head,
“Roley is a can of worms, but those suits are a wonder, couple that with what I bet will become very irritating effects from the new non-lethal weapons, we’re slowly realizing my father’s dream.”
“The Bloodless War. Very idealistic, it’s hard to believe even half of it would stand up to the simple rules of engagement, or the fact that if you don’t remove your opponent from the battlefield permanently, he will simply rise again. Not to mention they don’t follow the dogma of a Bloodless War, the odds are stacked.” Seth held his hand to the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes.
James spoke up, “We’ve moved one step closer, I believe you should read up on the chapters regarding Morale and Subversion, the very useful but dangerous basis of Bloodless Victory.”
Seth nodded, “I shall look at those again… Good day,” Seth walked slowly down the aisle, his feet falling intently as he walked through the exit.
“Oog, always with the war philosophy. You're always overthinking the whole thing,” Chels declared, lolling her tongue out, “Pure and simple, ‘Do no harm’ That’s all I need to know” She stood up and slinked over to the front counter to grab her lunch.
Always challenging. Oh well, someone to add pepper to the soup of idealism. James thought, clearing the table from the previous groups drinking antics. He sighed and glanced down at his necklace, bearing the ornamental mandala of Gaea, closing his eyes and running his fingers over the inscription on the back, silencing his mind.
“It is hope, that single hopeless sparkle of resistance against all odds, that has allowed us to keep going for 500 years, and for another 500 we shall arise again!”
He rolled this around in his head until the sound of a lunch tray startled him back to the world, lunch placed in front of him by a beaming Chels, whom sat down with her own sandwich, diving into it with a healthy glow on her face
Teaching war through love?
----*To Be Continued*
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Just to let everyone know, I'm moving to Kelowna on the 25th, this should not affect anything in the least except I will most likely be giddy about getting back onto Cable Internet
For those of you who will have to deal with Gyrfalcon in my short period being offline to move to my new house, please treat him and his addiction well
That is all!
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Spun Round
And the conversation turned
pale moonlight, big car, cheap hawiian shirt
what's wrong with the shirt?
I like this shirt
You spin me right round
round and round on rollerblades and
pink hotpants and gelled mohawks
and army boots.
Synthesizer, organ, golden age of rock
golden age of pop
Rock is dead
Disco is dead
And the conversation turned over.
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Magnificent Contrast
the fields of green, a soft gentle walk
nostalgia, hope and optimism
high country, the land, the mountains,
speckles of dandelions in the field below
walking on the grass, withering, whirling
calming grey clouds slide overhead
the rain,
the short sharp shock of
a raindrop
another drop, then 20
cold sharp shocks, life giving shocks
cool warm skin, warmth of the body,
real feelings of rain
to the west, a gold and white brilliance
sillouhette of the moutains, spirtzed with evergreens
suprising the clouds, defiant, proud.
the sharp shock of the drizzle,
the warming joy of the helios,
the virdant field
home, hearth, my land
peace, and rain
imperfect hopeful bliss
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Rotating flux capacitor
Soft noise of a synth drum
Flight of the bumblebee, drone of radar ping
woman and children first
hunkered down in this technological haven
technological hell
close your eyes and recall the story
dance to that electronic drum
digital thrum
interconnected bliss
no angst here
just a groove, a hope and a dream
electronic beat.
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Roll, thunder, hit
Snap your fingers, grind the strings
hit the drums, thump the beat
waggle the refrain, shrill the chorus
hit the drums, beat the thumper
determination, resolution, steadfastness
confidence.
strings and cellos and violins, growling
fading
quiet
next track.
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Viva la Revolut
People chanting, marching, drums beating
cantor and furor of the protest, the power of humanity
conflict and agression, met with solidarity, the news is all over
people in the streets, beading from the sun,
yellow
talking, shouting, chanting, united
swept up in the moment, moving land and society in a new direction
the velvet revolution.
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Sailing in the Late Afternoon
The white canvas ripples in the fine crisp air. a warm breeze
making the mood dozy, the clouds gracing the sun
in a warm welcome
let the dance begin.
get up and dive into the air, whirl around
up towards the sun and around the ceruclean sky
diving down down near the great sea,
racing, winding through the trees towards the
afternoon sun.
sweat on the brow, the glint off the the prow,
brilliance of the glorious machines, sinewing the sky
dip down low into the countryside, behind
mountain's shadow, cool breeze, winding path
strange land.
tension leads to curiousity leads to interest.
Climbing back up into the air
to grace the sunny skys agains
Once more it is time to sleep and let the white wings of the
wind take us where they might go
we see the albatross sail into the deep requious sky.
and we smile.
and we have peace.
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Nowhere but There
drums rolling rolling
rising peaceful bliss, alive
plateau
charged, empowered, enlightened
climbing the wall, walking the road
fighting the fight
grinding the grind
dancing in the pale sunlight
swirling devil of accomplishment
mysterious results
the war goes on.
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The Complete
There is a touch of something
In all this darkness, that ever respendent hope
Must it always pierce through the clouds of
dark and despair
To lift those who have fallen to their feet
Yes it must
It must for that is why it exists at all...
And into the light they rise
To bear their gift, and strike back the darkness
And then the sky lifts, the lightness fades and...
We are left with nothing but normal, once again...
and again.
Woe be those, the strikers of light and dark.
For I am the bringer of the Grey.
I am not judgeful, nor bent on vengance.
My ever watching eyes grades both of you.
You are not worthy.
So I shall strike you both back again, to your respective realms,
until you see fit to do battle again.
One day I will laugh,
and this pettiness will end.
The Grey is coming
and You can't stop it...
It Transcends all of humanity
all of transcendanty
all of the galaxy.
We're all right.
-
After in the light
Is this one of those times, we think back
or think forward. Times are good and joyful
Though we may be dark, we prefer the light
That's how she said it and we prefer it to our own
So we embrace it and cherish it.
Not a lie.
Just preception of truth.
The darkness will come back and again, shall I succumb to it
But her light, shall remind me of what I prefer
Never again.
We are the end, blue blue skies.
-
Dearly departed sorrow
String of vitae, ever winding cord
cut
regrowth, never was cut
only hid from the blade...
Where did it go?
Silence, or boredom, which I don't know
I see the sunlight, the sky... oh
how everyone can see the sky
why can't only I see it?
The way things are.
Never hopeless, and hopeless.
Fire and Ice, what ever happened to water and oil?
even water and oil don't mix.
Mercury, stars are rising, sunrise.
I think too much, hearing the songs of magic in my ears
Forget all that.
There is a reason but I cannot remember anymore
It's faded.
I dream.
I see those wings again...
It's lost.
No, only changed. Gregorian chants
Ever mulling and rising, paragon of hope and virtue.
and I rise to meet it.
Now I feel at peace, my heart has mended...
let me slip into the darkness, the...
This can't be happening... where.. I...
Impossible, this was the end? No, it's beginning again
Down and down
down down down
pain sorrow hate evil darkness
white.
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Interval
Sitting, posture wrong, slumped
eyes drooped, mind a fog
a grey wall
the room is hot, fans are blowing
endless spinning, play of shadows
soft breeze
I feel
I feel like the grey wall
and the grey wall is around me
glass ceiling
artificial limit
lack of self discipline
waiting for what?
probably for this life to be over
whether it be a day or a century away
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Metal Scream
Preparation
Getting ready, packing up
moving out, marching outward
checking, cleaning, testing, hoping
Anticipation
Searching
Taking point, scanning, heartbeat
Pressure, must see... see them first
Darkness, the metal and the dark,
something dripping...
Panic
Chaos, noise... lights in the dark,
reformation, running... fighting...
ringing in my ears, where are they?
taking aim, raining hell....
Brimstone
They fall... dead?
sharp pain... flash in my eyes...
I become one of the many...
Peace.
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Twilight Sunrise
Now the end, string tied up
music plays, credits roll
camera pulls away
the wide angle.
fade to black
roll the credits
show the outtakes
so happy
imbued with optimism
leaving, or returning
the end or a new beginning
cry of death and life
transcendence into the bardo
ascendence into heaven
decension into hell
where am I?
home.
I'm finally home.
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Summit & Fall
The journey long and slow, mournful we
walk down the country road
It feels like the end, maybe it is
End always means beginning.
Maybe this is just passing in time
We've lost some, but we find the new
and embrace it, grasping it before we've lost all hope
Now we are whole.
Our determination steels, our hopes rise
Now we know where we are going.
But we are daunted by hardship again and again
So we must be stronger.
The tension, muscles and sweat, movement
marching... running
The charge, a sea of people... blades and armor
The eye of the storm.
The pursuit of victory.
The grand achivement, returning home, victory at a cost
The cost is worth it, the populace is safe.
But there are black linings to this silver cloud.
Incongruence, something isn't right.
Very wrong...
Betrayal, not now... it's... too late.
The abidication of the king. His bloodied crown rolling on the floor.
Now we have a new order.
Things are changed, but we are strong... we must.
The long wait is over, we have come back for our freedom
We declare them evil, they to us...
Whoever wins, will have their freedom nonetheless.
I hope we win.
Now this is the end.
The crimson, the orange, yellow, rogue....
This is the end...
I hope you had a good life.
Sinking into the twilight.
-
Fire on Blue
The sun burns azure in the sky.
Moves down, then slows.... and stops.
azure sun? or azure sky?
It moves again, world around getting darker.
sunset caused, clouds are pink, that's expected.
But what isn't, is all the names.
pink, red, crimson, cerise, maroon
orange, rose, peach, gold, ginger
twilight....
blue...
Where did the Cerulean go?
replaced by midnight.
We're all done here.
Lets move on to the next story.
If there is one. First the idea has to come
Hit someone with that spark.
It's too late today, come back tomorrow
When the sun is azure again.
Aphelion.
-
Dreaming Real
Darkness
Wandering, sleeping, predawn, city
the spires, towers, beams, heights
the hell above, the skykiller, domination...
supremacy
Lightness
Consciousness sitting, metropolis morning
the deeps, cells, badlands, depths
the hope imbued in all
limitlessness
Blood
Blade, slashing out, intent... realization
the sight, the crimson, flesh and saber
the final rest, incogruence,
is this what's it like to die?
War
Noise, a flash, running and hiding, falling
faceless men, gunfire, missiles streaking... hit
the wait
i don't want to die...
Dreaming real...
Dreaming metal...
dreaming blue...
dreaming hope...
-
Juxtaposition
Sitting, waiting
ambience, patience... time
bored
is that it? no...
waiting again.
blankness
running, hurry
no time, too late... heartbeat
can't breathe
remember to breathe
over there... no..where?
hit.
me?
-
Rain
The windows, blinded
cars goes by, whistle-whoosh of the wet road
no sky, no blue blue sky
gray... murky blue,
wet...
inside, warm.. too warm..
turn the heat down
lighting yellow,
still alone.
dry, swallow...
rain
-
Naiascent
Close my eyes
World before me
People laughing, sky is blue.
Close my eyes
I'm in another world
sky is blue, the grass is green
I never want to leave
my mind...
again.
grass too green
sky too blue
towers so white
pearly white
is this real? can it be made?
where am i...
fly!
awake.
-
Limit
Start smooth, moving along
simple, easy... cruise
accelerate, kickback... gravity
gravity the wrong way
turning, faster... heavy, sliding
back again, the cruise
so much easier
back again, nothing comfortable
at seven gee
loops, barrel rolls, cut-fades
the dogfight
white tracers, smoking trails
impact...?
too far... can't.. yes..
Silence.
-
Quartz Bell
Cave
Dark, always dark
Chanting, soprano, panting, rythmic... melodious
white, twisting... what is it?
Otherworldly
Revealed
Pale, gazing... vengful? judgemental?
rather, truth seeking...
after me...
plunging...
Darkness, again.
Swimming, swirling... treading...
deep, can't breath
ledge
salvation.
Struggling back, towards
the light, her face
I see now...
I see her....
Sadness.
Humiliation.
Despair.
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This is simply a little spot to keep all of my poems in one neat little spot so that people may find and read all that I have to offer when I post new stuff =)
Enjoy!
-JonJon
Latest Poem: Footsteps Posted December 25th, 2004
Utopia's Twilight Feedback
in Critic's Corner Archive
Posted
Just a bump, I would still love feedback on the story.