Author: Asa Levens
Poetry
Slaves as a Statement of Power
Emaciated bodies
waiting like animals in cages
for their meal,
for a warm hand of comfort,
that will never come.
Their chains that bind them
made of rusted iron.
The floor caked in putrid bodily fluids.
The ceiling swarmed with spiders
nesting in their intricate webs.
These slaves of a dynasty,
solemnly seek a quick death.
Collar bones poke through,
cheekbones protrude,
streaming with tears of suffering
for a relief that will remain unfulfilled.
Their nakedness exposes them
to the dark cold of the cave.
And the dusty decay of the air
exposes them to infection
due to the ripped flesh on their backs,
caused my the end of a tattered whip.
What greater show of power
than for their king to leave them this way:
thousands of lives
that will never again see daylight.
With Winter Comes Grief
The winter takes life away.
As they fall, my tears freeze,
And I trip over my frostbitten feet
as I walk.
There is not enough ice
coating the dead ground
to represent this cold heart,
for one who will be so dearly missed.
"Time will heal these wounds."
But the wind bites my skin
continuously rips them open.
And the longer I stay outside looking in
the more I turn blue
In this way, time cheats.
Winter is crossing off the list.
First, the leaves,
Then the trees,
Then the roots.
"The seeds promise something new."
But seeds cannot sprout
in these temperatures.
For as long as I am here,
there is no warmth
in the face of grief.
"Turn on the heat."
The knob is jammed.
and my hands are locked shut,
fistin...
Empowerment of the Unworthy
No protection,
No clemency,
The Creator has abandoned them.
Out of tune,
They listlessly strum their instruments,
scraping away what little skin
clings to their fingers.
Feeding their sorrow
to the ravenous continuum
of their epoch.
They stumble about
on scorbutic legs
through what once was,
and will no longer be.
Among their predicament,
they are faced with inevitable defeat.
The anguish as their scorched feet
connects with the scalding surface,
is anesthetized by their emaciation.
Yet their Creator watches,
in silent amusement.
Crows With Pure Intentions
Guilty you've been found,
Battered you were,
and caged you are.
Loose dangling limbs
Clinging to the rusted metal of your enclosure.
Eyes pried open by force,
refusing to accept defeat.
Restraining from letting them fall to the distance
between you and the ground.
Cackles vibrate above you
from the crow perched in mock,
Or perhaps in witness
of your unjustified suffering.
Bellows of its laughter
could be cries of its sorrow.
As the moon ascends to its peak
you lose sight of its casted shadow.
Blindness.
The foul's clamor intensifies.
When your life recedes
this companion will act on intimacy.
And sate its desire
to rid you of your amaurotic eyes.
These useless eyes.
To taste you.
Comfort settles within you
for this inauspicious,
yet intrinsic bond yo...
Time is Misery
Thoughts are all a game
and no fun for any of us.
We're on a noose
and can't find someone to trust.
No one can swing for very long
on Misery's pendulum.
Sooner or later,
they lose their momentum.
It is a matter of Misery before it stops
Yet, it keeps swinging
And He keeps tying the knots
He's making it shorter
and we're getting smarter
But at what cost?
Until we find our souls lost.
Ominous Walls
You stand around me,
See everything behind me,
and speak through me.
But I stand beside you,
See you,
and fail to voice my affection.
Intoxication is the ghost
that haunts your senses.
Despondency is the ghost
that haunts mine.
They build strongholds around you,
making you immune,
But they use my Material
to build them.
My only panacea
Is to lock mySelf away,
medicate my senses
and Stay.
Cleanse of Spirit
Ghost, spew vapor.
Hidden truths,
on paper.
For no one to read later.
Ghost, fly high.
feet dangle,
movements shy.
No one yet wonders why.
Ghost, don't falter.
for someone might find
your shelter.
You know better.
Ghost, keep searching,
but you'll never find
this earthling.
Soul churning.
Holy water is boiling.
Steadfast, you're burning.
Strongholds melting.
Figure falling.
Vapor erasing.