This Castle

So much time

effort

blood and tears

and love

dedicated to constructing this castle,

this fortress,

it's walls are thick
and high

but it's doors are open

wide

and it's beautiful inside.

Many have been invited to stay

and each who's left

has a room awaiting them,

should ever they need shelter

I offer my fortress as a home.

So much time and effort

trying to figure out why so few choose to remain,

citizens in my queensland,

people pass through,

many pass by,

the doors are open

wide

most have used them for leaving.

If I knew why my halls remain empty,

what repairs are needed,

how to make it even more hospitable,

in a heartbeat I'd change it all,

but every time I renovate,

I lose more than I gain.

I fear my walls may thicken,

my castle crumble into ruin,

and my doors close forever,

before ever experiencing the feasts they were built to host.

A Long Minute

I wish I could stretch the minutes

make a good night a weekend long

give those lost a few more breaths

provide the troubled a chance to change their minds

I wish there was more more time in a moment to savor it
or change the course of fate,
feel past the hate
and live.

Trigger Warning

memories flood in
as the music drowns
reason

the memories are made of emotion
or rather
a lack thereof

back again
to the time the only way to feel was to rip at the skin
and watch the crimson glisten

turn the song off
and avoid the void
that took so long to escape

and still
calls my name

Sleep Deprivation

Sleep deprivation,

starvation; intentional
or
accidental,

alcohol

Each leads to

exhaustion
disorientation
inebriation

indulgence is inevitable,
so which rabbit-hole is first?