Us Dark Few (Us Dark Few, #1)

by Alexis Patton

Love was like gravity. Pulling and tugging you down to the deepest depths, exposing your core vulnerabilities, ripping barriers apart, and leaving you with nothing but space.

You remember it Can’t you? The lighted whispers in the dark When the hope in life Wasn’t built to fall apart You feel it Can’t you? The reverberations within Collapse of dead wishes Dreams adjourning before they begin You hear it Can’t you? That silence once more Louder than screams Hearts dying like mine has before You realize it Can’t you? Loss starts with your first breath Either accept defeat with smeared eyes Or smile when you encounter death

Does anyone win the race of life, or do we all get participation trophies?

I am not a singular object or definition Infinite variations of my soul exist The great manifestations of the world we live in Human hearts written on a mental list No one person will view me the same Love comes in the same intensity as hate Judgment from strangers, fickle as paper planes Unable to know your story, we suffer the same fate Clear mirrors won’t display your desires Outer shells are no reflection of the inner core Dreams inevitably crumble as they ascend higher Consequences turn into coveting more This recurring reflection whispers to be free I can see my darkened image in the hue And then I realized, it wasn’t me What I was staring at was you

How can hearts continue beating through the many cracks, fissures, and breaks? Anyone who says time heals all wounds hasn’t had many wounds. Time masks all wounds. Time was a band-aid on a broken leg.

Monster in Me There lay wounds in me Open scabs, bleeding marks, decrepit lines Possessing transparency with the weight of mountains Pressure cascades down my spine Like drops of wax as the candle bleeds Did you know the monster was me? Voices cry and tremble like the earth Trampling hopes while honoring doubts I became fluent in every form of fear All my bads are timestamped and memorized All the goods of me are blotted and erased Did you know the monster was me? You will never be Good enough Loved enough Strong enough Twisted phrases and malicious lies Quickly turn to wicked truths I strike the words of destruction I do it to be first I do it to be worse Did you know the monster was me? The might of me relinquished the throne Defeat sank me to my knees Shuttering my gaze for the final blow Until I heard a distant cry Ferocious fights raged and something kept me alive Death knocked and I peered into his face He balked and scattered at the sight Did you know the monster was me? I outlived all my worst days Survived every lonely cold night My eyes open for all those that are closed The voice within my voice stirs Shouting truths that lay in waiting These bleeding wounds encompass a story Of someone stronger than steel And more fearful than death I clench the sword of life and bellow out You’ll remember the monster was always me.

“I know I shouldn’t say this, but your beauty is so overwhelming that it makes me ache. It’s more than physical. It’s who you are as a person. That’s how I know if your parents are anything like you, they are in heaven too.”

<3!!!!

Pain was not something to cower from. Pain was a product of perseverance. When sweat pooled, tears dried, and blood hardened into scabs, only then did the mind rest soundly at night, knowing every ounce of effort had been given. The strong didn’t see pain as a barrier but as a rocket ship propelling them beyond the limits of the mind. Without pain, victories would be worthless. Otherwise, everyone would win.

You’re the story I read slowly. I want to savor and memorize every word of you.

Severed Dreams When hearts no longer cope And lungs no longer breathe What happens to their dying hopes? Are they whisked to the light? Flown with shadows in the dark? Or do they stay with those lost in sight? Cover your eyes and hold onto that fear These fates will be delivered in the cold Beware the girl containing severed dreams Her revenge is known to lacerate the soul

Let us dance tonight, for wise is the man who is grateful for each day, knowing it might be his last.”

Songs of Surrender These walls built to contain, whisper in my ear The Songs of Surrender beckon me closer Those barriers represent eternal fear While the music tells me to be my own composer Letting go is the hardest thing Holding on to time as if it equates to meaning But now I know the truth and raise my own wings Barricades may block the physical, but they can’t contain the feelings The sweetest lies will drown out the soul While doubts beckon you to remain Darling, do not wait for those bells to toll I beg of you to rise and break the chains.