whispers in the dark 

hauntings of a past 

that I sometimes forget 

when the sun burns my eyes

only to remember, when the world feels perfectly still 

I can hear the crows talk 

the murder gathers 

the council has decided 

my destiny 

dusk settles over skin

and suddenly the sky wanders into black

is this it?

I quietly ask the night

was it set in stone 

as I was torn from the womb 

thrust into this ruin 

to spend my life wrapped in a blanket of thorns 

free to die, if only I could answer the riddle

I have yet to solve it 

I feel alone 

I am alone

I wonder how else to tell this story 

outside of metal 

outside of the dark 

I offer this tale of my broken existence 

in ceramic 

in bronze 

in steel 

it won’t give you comfort 

but maybe you’ll feel a little less alone 

than I am

I call out to the murder 

begging them to take me under their wing 

when will I be free of this ruin

free of this body 

when will I be free 

to go