Masked Lucidity

A story of trauma and guilt

Reality is nothing,
If perception ain't what it seems,
when passing through the memories,
Run through your broken dreams.

The demon rears his ugly head,
He's taken full control,
He'll leave me when I'm cold and dead,
He feeds upon my soul.

What have I done, how can this be,
Why would I be so blind,
To hunt beneath the willow tree,
Attacking my own kind?

I realize, with much dismay,
The mask is stuck in place,
I tug and pull it every way,
It slaps back in my face

This curs-ed mask, though once a prize,
To help me face my pain,
Has brought the tears back to my eyes,
Never to leave again.

Forgiveness, I can never know,
No matter how I try,
Now I only wish to go,
To find a way to die.

I tried to jump into the sea,
The demon drank it in,
I leaped out of the tallest tree,
But floated on the wind.

Why can you not let me die?
I screamed at him in vain,
He just laughed and winked his eye,
From deep within my brain.

So in I went, to drag him out,
To answer for his crimes,
He began to lash about,
And kicked me forty times.

Defeated, I just sat there, staring,
Deep into the abyss,
The demon, he just sat there, glaring,
Licking on his lips.

"You cannot defeat me, boy,
So don't you even try,
You are my brand new, favorite toy,
You will never die,"

He licked my cheek, foul, rancid breath,
Poured down around my nose.
It smelled of urine, mixed with death,
Partially decomposed.

He watched me as I crawled away,
Like a dog to lick my wounds,
To run to fight another day,
I hid within the ruins.

This rubble had once been a town,
A thriving, metro hub,
Until the demon burned it down,
And chased away all love.

For, it's love that kills the demon,
But through lack, his power's grown,
Though battle's lost, and I must run,
Seek for that, I've ne'er known.