When the portal opens

The doors creak, open wide

It’s already too late

No one can ever escape

The candles are lit on the altar

Black shadows dance

Fresh sacrifices laid out in offer

The demons call from inside

Hungry for a taste
Now the Feast of Flesh begins

Chant With Me

Acid slides down my throat

Burns on the way down

This bitter truth I bear

Toast the devil tonight

Lift the chalice up high

Drink deep of that brew

Consume the rat tails

Suck them down dry

Chew on the tough ends

Crunch down on the bones

Ignore the snapping below

The jagged ends broken sharp

Smell the sulfur in the air

Breathe in a deep lungful

Savor the smoky aftertaste

Light a fire in my soul

Speak the black words
I’ll summon a demon for you

My Fairytale

An apple so ripe, cranberry-red

Sweet poison

The taste cloying on my tongue

Bitter skin

I try to cough the piece back up

Blood frozen

There’s no more beating of my heart

Breath gone

I have lost

My eyes are wide open, but blind

I trusted

The wise old crone becomes a witch

She laughs

They come to bury me in my casket

No air

I want to scream, but my lips are shut

Fade away

Once upon a time

Gamble

Take a deep breath and count to ten

Let this feeling fill you up inside

Close your eyes and make a wish

Take a chance and roll the dice

Get on that rollercoaster

See how high you fly

Don’t think about the ending

Just enjoy the ride

Take a deep breath and count to ten

Let this feeling fill you up inside

Close your eyes and make a wish

Take a chance and roll the dice

Forget that failure’s an option

Run forward without looking back

Let the wind tug at your hair

The ground blur beneath your feet

Take a deep breath and count to ten

Let this feeling fill you up inside

Close your eyes and make a wish

Take a chance and roll the dice

Smile carefree and unrestrained

Be gentle just because you can

Start a new friendship every day

Let the sunshine warm your skin

Take a deep breath and count to ten

Let this feeling fill you up inside

Close your eyes and make a wish

Take a chance and roll the dice

Take a chance and roll the dice

Unseen

Sometimes, a growl will crawl up my throat
My eyes will narrow, my fingers will transform
Into claws as I hiss and scratch and bite
My nostrils flaring and my balance on my toes
Teeth bared and breath leaving me in heaving pants
I will curse, I will spit, I will shriek in fury

Inside, I am curled up in the darkest corner

Deep in the shadows where I will be safe
From the monster prowling, while my hands
Cover my ears, my eyes squeezed tightly closed
Humming under my breath until the madness
Passes and the outside world belongs to me again

Strength

I’m trying so hard not to explode
(Swallow it down, count to ten, close my eyes)

My fingers curl into shaking fists
(Don’t cry, don’t scream, keep my mouth shut)

Make myself take a deep breath
(Inhale, exhale, no chattering teeth or trembling lips)

Force my eyes level with yours
(Keep my chin up, my gaze steadily fixed on you)

Refuse to let you see I am terrified
(Shoulders down, don’t hug myself, my knees firm)

Calmly soothe your hurt feelings
(Sweat down my back, shaking, ignore the nausea)

Pretend I’m fine to confuse you
(Go away, go away, go away, go away, go away)

Collapse when you finally leave
(Hug myself, start to cry, so much weight is gone)

Listen

Take a deep breath
Just let it go
This separation will hurt
It will tear you apart
But that is so much better
Than dying slowly from the inside out
This pain will be worth it
In the end
It’s better than being numb
So pull away now
Us all of your strength
Make it hurt so deeply
That you’re wounded and bleeding
It will scar
One day you will be strong enough
To be proud of that imperfection
It shows that you survived
You are strong
So let go
You can handle this
You can go on