and the darkness enshrouds
and the darkness enshrouds
blend with the surroundings and live in the dancing light behind the heavy vines
hanging a curtain twisting like rigor-mortise spines in the buzzing midnight of the living forest
the blackness is gorgeous in this formidable shifting fortress fantastic
tapetum lucidum glinting in the feeble moonlight that falls in fragile spires through the philodendron as they slowly climb
grave muddy mangrove print maker in quiet stroll mode
the scattered pattern in the forest renders the form of a ghost and elegant
a killing shadow ascending effortless
resting on overhanging branch apex predator drawing breath clawing dead yawing jaws alarming in their revelation of fatal head

you are but a candle in the darkness
and the forests hands hold you

and the darkness swallows you
an enveloping embrace within this misty place of unknown things
there is a string that binds us,
to all beings which would dine on us

their eyes shine in the night by torch scanning
we survive by bringing fire
to dazzle night vision in the black

should i follow the trail back made as the prey was dragged
or let them float off in the darkness, slide from the raft and swim with my crocodilian kin somewhere beneath
and eager to rip living beings in half

20 centuries pass
each epoch blends with the next
carrying forth remnants of the last
and even when our consciousness has left
our elements will drift down that spiral path


breathing control is most important
a childs mind is often distorted
my infant formi scream within
as iron of the will heated and bent, forged into a crooked sword
an imperfect artifact
hammered to shape and quenched for tensile strength and i pray never to breaks

as i enter the place
where the golden chrysalis in darkest dream hangs
every generation in the forge fire singes wings
leaping toward glorious orbit

behold in it lungs a quiet moment
interrupted by thunderous eruption

the forest's dark heart pulsing
where the impassible bramble gathers
lianas enshroud the holy ember
and may you find safe passage

through the strangling tangle

on the forests altar sleep



battleswarm battleswarm
in dismantled form i float down the path they've torn
through undergrowth
numbers explode

within impressive wreckage
a charred stone carving large in silhouette
filled with threat elevated state regenerated in
the face of the fire eyed idol

a carved mask slowly rotated
in the smoky wake blood thirst to slake
the white mans rifle
turned tribal and
blasts lead in the battle for survival

and ravenous on padded paw the spirit traverses
the tendrils connecting the sprawling forests of people