I Shrug

Life is an abuser,
And it follows a pattern of cruelty,
So ingrained is this spite set in stone,
That I can only shrug in response,
Whilst I try to collect the stuffing,
Torn from my teddy bear heart,
My marbles,
Knocked loose by another blow,
Followed by the jeers of existence,
When words fail me,
Or simply refuse to materialize,
I can only shrug,

It’s just the way of things,
A rigid modus operandi,
Life doesn’t pick favourites,
I’m sure all of our shoulders grow tired,
From all of the torture,
From all of the shrugging.

A Hearts Tightrope

When you have given yourself to another,
When you are in love,
You walk a perilous path,
A tightrope,
Ruby and velvet,
Laid across a chasm that seems familiar,
Yet terrifying all the same,
Romance is a game of balance,
Give and take,
Watch your footing,

Do not look down,
Nor left or right,
One side lies heartbreak,
The other a spousal thumbprint,
Sharks of grim dependencies wait below,
As black as despair,
Made of bottles and needles,
Stalking amidst shipwrecks of past trysts,
Splintered hearts of wood and all,
So keep true upon that rope my friend.

Angler Fish

My foolish friend,
Swim far away from that woman,
She is an angler fish,
A hunter with brunette flair,
Flourishing that bright façade of harmony,
Put fathoms betwixt you,
Make for friendly coral reefs,

The world can be an airless abyss indeed,
But don’t make for the first lure of promise,
Don’t heed her tantalising light,
The fleeting warmth shall turn to thrashing pain,
Her smile shifting to puncturing fangs,
Those lidless dead eyes will feel no remorse,
As she tears you limb from heart,

Swim far away.

Domestic Bliss

I remember you vividly,
Sitting next to me,
Or were you standing over me?
Holding me perhaps too tight,
A living and breathing possession,
I was your toy soldier,

You showed your feelings openly,
Love letters in dark patches of skin,
Compliments tempered with caveats,
Invisible chains while away,
I believed it was stress or foul mood,
But you were Hyde without Jekyll,

Did we have a good life?
In our love nest of isolation,
An idyllic little boxing ring,
No friends allowed,
Don’t let the spies in,
They can’t see the real us,

It wasn’t all bad,
As you snored,
I breathed a sigh of relief,
When you left for the mines,
I didn’t flee,
Why didn’t I leave?

You said you loved me,
But your closed fists said otherwise,
You claimed to support me,
Then why could I only do wrong?
You didn’t want to hurt me,
Then why do I sustain scars years later?

Shield Stance

I once spied a lady in the agora,
She was under assault,
A wounded warrior,
Axe and buckler broken,
Beset by a heartless hood,

So I took on my shield stance,
Rickety and ill-trained as it was,
Speaking up in defence,
I did not know her,
But I felt compelled to assist,

An ill-advised bastion,
My soft words of peace did not assuage,
The arrows and bolts persist,
I took several verbal blows,
My reinforced aegis sundered,

A tempestuous lover or abusive spouse,
I remember not,
Was she fearful or under the thumb?
I could not know,
I tried to hold the line for her,

But she joined the foe,
An unexpected turn of face,
I fall to one knee,
Fragments of my shield,
Scatter on the wind,

She goes with her aggressor,
Spitting on my charity,
Was I wrong to wield the shield?