Shadows born from eerie evening light
sink below to play the black and white
a grim ritual to call all souls
to dance away the burden of their woes.

We watched, as young boys on the cusp of men
in the startled awe that led us then
our eyes on fire, our ears turned deaf
to warnings spread by those who’d left.

Those nameless wants and dreamless nights
spawned countless tumultuous depraved delights
that slowly stole our sense of time and space
blinding us to our very selves erased.

Shadows born to eerie morning light
lost among bleak music since twilight
now our ritual to bend our souls
to forget the lives for a pittance sold.

© EMMI LAWRENCE