Union (Poem)

The Rage.
The Flames.
The Beast.

You are a part of me,
We both know that,
But we are so separate.

We are in a conflict,
A war with each other;
We both want control.

I think what truly drives us,
Is our want to exist,
Without the other's oppression.

But our war is for dominance,
As the victor will rule forever,
And the loser will be lost.

Complete dominance is not good,
For either of us,
For we would be unbalanced.

An unbalanced top,
Is bound to fall,
And that would be the victor.

Neither of us want this,
So I will suggest
A simple solution.

I know what you are.
You are power,
And I need you.

You know what I am.
I am control,
And you need me.

Thus there is no point in war,
For it weakens us both.
Let us work as one.

Should we learn to work as one,
We could both benefit,
But first we must learn.

We must learn to rule as one,
As separate entities,
But together as one.

In essence we are two kings within one,
And fighting would only bring
The fall of our kingdom.

Both of our skills are needed to rule,
As a passive ruler is overthrown,
And an aggressive ruler destroys himself.

But a strong ruler,
Who is not blinded by rage,
Nor controlled by fear,
Can survive in a harsh world,
By exercising his will,
His strength and intelligence.

 People will bow to his will,
And will put trust in his choices,
But most of all they will love him.

If he is not guided by rage,
He will wage only needed wars,
And be kind to his people.

If he is not guided by fear,
He will fight the needed wars,
And protect his people.

Thus a union is needed,
As you are too angry,
And I am too fearful.

Your anger will give me courage,
And my fear will give you control,
Allowing us to become the perfect king.

Now we shall enact this idea,
And rid ourselves of our weaknesses,
Allowing us to achieve so much more.

Place your clawed hand out,
So that my careful one,
May shake it.

Good. This unites us.
Now we will forsake this war,
And work together to better ourselves.

-Zero

The Painful Truth (continuation of "Identity")

The sun breaks through the windows and shines on my face. I wake up and slowly sit up. I gaze around the light room. Nothing has changed except for the clarity given. The details of the walls and the furniture become visible to my waking eyes. I pay no attention. Silence dominates the large room. I wait. Three hours pass before Emily awakes.

“What are you going to do about it?” She asks me as we finish up our breakfast of bacon and eggs. I wash my plate and turn around. I shrug.

“What can I do about it?” I reply as I head back to the couch that I had slept on.

“You can destroy her. Or you can try to defeat the Joker.” She tells me, throwing the book in my direction. It lands flat on the couch and bounces up lightly. I grab it and flip it open to the page with the twisted smile on it.

“How can I defeat him? He's not even alive. He's a ghost, a spirit.” I say hopelessly. “I can't touch him. I can't even mess with his mind. He'll just continue messing with mine. What use is trying to fight back?”

“Ever heard of a spell?” She suggests to me. “Magic?” I nod my head in response.

“It's a shame it doesn't exist. We could have a magician make the Joker disappear.” I laugh lightly at my joke. She rolls her eyes at me and walks over. She puts her finger on a piece of text on the opposite page of the picture.

“Read it. Out loud.” She orders. I do as she says.

“Should the Joker's laugh fall upon my ears, Let him be banished from me, Stop him from feeding from my fears, Force him to set me free.” I look up at her. “Is this supposed to be a spell?”

“Yes. And it works too.” She assures me. I look back down at the spell. “But there's a little problem with it.”

“What?” I ask. She shakes her head and clearly refuses to speak. I search the page for any more information regarding the spell. I find it. “Requires a blood sacrifice?” I exclaim in shock. “What is this? A satanic book?”

“Not necessarily...” She says shamefully.

“Then what is it?” My voice begins to escalate, due to old Christian beliefs inherited from my parents. She takes a careful step back and stares at the floor.

“It belonged to my mother. She thought the idea of heaven to be foolish and preferred the heat, the passion, the power. She never meant anyone living any harm, but sometimes a sacrifice must be made to get rid of evil.” Her hand moves towards her left arm and rubs it carefully.

“You've done it haven't you?” I question. My rage subsides out of pity. “That's why you know it works. He had you before too, didn't he?”

“Yes!” She exclaims after a moment of silence and then lifts her shirt and reveals the scars on her arm. Etched into her skin is 'HELP'. Sadness overwhelms me. “He was too strong. He wanted too much. I had no other choice!” She tries to justify using the spell.

“Anything else about the spell that I need to know?” I ask, avoiding a response. She looks out of the windows as if she is looking into another world entirely.

“Yes.” She says without looking away from the other world. “You have to reveal the evil you were tempted to do to those who you would have done it to.”

-Zero

Arctic Fire (Poem)

Heat where there is none,
Helping me survive,
As this land cares not,
For my existence.

It will not feed me,
My rations run dry.
The water freezes,
And my lips are dry.

This land is water,
But it is drought.
Rainfall never comes,
Yet the sky is cloud.

Here people are not,
Except for just me,
But I am hardly,
As I am fading.

I thank Arctic Fire,
As it warms my soul,
And provides relief,
From unforgiving.

This land does hate me,
But this fire does not.
No, it loves me so,
And I embrace it.

The flames are orange,
Against the grey world,
It is free and strong,
Burning with great ease.

It fills me till full,
And hugs me till warm,
Like a friend would do,
When times are so rough.

Arctic Fire I love,
Just like the Winter,
As both have caught me,
When I was falling.

The world does hate me,
Just from time to time.
It pushes me down,
Into a dark pit.

And I fall non-stop,
Until I am caught.
But they will catch me,
They are not alone.

To begin there is,
Winter and its cold,
My own human friends,
And Arctic Fire.

Each has their own place,
The Fire's is this land,
As Winter feeds not,
And men exist not. 

But this Fire feeds me,
Unlikely it seems,
As it melts the ground,
And provides water.

And this Fire exists,
For I am alive,
And the world is changed,
But the Fire soon leaves.

I must leave soon too,
As I am ready,
Due to Arctic Fire,
We leave together.

-----------------------------------------------------------
This poem, just as "Winter's Dreams", was inspired by a tea that I enjoyed while sitting at the Tea Party on York street in Ottawa, Ontario.  I suppose it is about the feelings I felt when first having it, or perhaps even when I have it each time.

-Zero

Winter's Dreams (Poem)

The snow has fallen,
The cold has set in.
The sky has turned grey,
The sun has gone 'way.

I shiver and shift,
Looking for some warmth,
The warm winter light,
And those saving thoughts.

I sit before glass,
Looking at the world,
Consumed in the white,
And hidden away.

What is it we want?
Winter has fallen,
But in its rising,
Do we truly sit.

We dream away time,
Thinking of summer,
But that is not me,
But rather all you.

Before the leaves fell,
I wanted Winter,
For its graceful light,
And comforting cold.

I am Winter's Dream,
And I have come true.
For we all want love,
Winter is the same.

Most hated through time,
Winter feels empty,
For lack of love's fill,
As none of us give.

Thus I will donate,
This love (was yours once),
To the forsaken,
As it once saved me.

The cold was my friend,
And held me through night,
When I had no one;
I was forsaken.

It was time most dark,
Full of mad sadness.
None would come save me,
But Winter was there.

No season had done,
What Winter did do,
As it gave me peace,
Through the silent streets.

I disliked people,
Alone, I wanted,
As they confused me,
With their little games.

But the cold shunned them,
And forced them inside,
Allowing silence,
In the streets I walked.

Thus I love Winter,
Like my oldest friend,
Who often saves me,
From my own darkness.

Summer is boring,
Too many people.
I love dear Winter,
For it has loved me.

-Zero

Identity (Continuation of "The Joker")

      We arrive at her apartment. The building towers over us in the dark night. Windows seem randomly placed all along the front wall. No lights are on in any of the rooms. She grabs my hand. My heart rushes in response as she pulls me toward the broken wooden door at the top of some stairs. She pushes it open and drags me inside. The building is black. I can't see anything. Silence pierces my ears.

      “How do you know where you're going?” I ask her as she swiftly pulls me through the darkness.

      “Experience. The owners are too cheap to light up the hallways at night.” She tells me. Suddenly, she stops. I bump into her.

      “Sorry.” I quickly apologize. I hear a key enter a socket and turn. The lock slides out of the door frame. A doorknob turns and the unseen door swings open. Emily tugs on my hand and I follow her through what I assume to be the door frame. A switch flips and the room lights up. For a moment, all I can see is white. The door slams behind me as my eyes adjust to the lighting.

      “I know. It's a little bright.” Emily says with a light laugh. My chest warms up mysteriously. The white walls become distinguishable from the pale red furniture. The floor is fake hardwood. It looks like plastic. The apartment seems to be one large room with two side rooms. Ahead of me, living room furniture and kitchen tools seem to mix and match in front of a small television. On the far wall, there's a window with blinds drawn over it.

      “You got that right. Doesn't help with all of the light colors.” I comment in a friendly way. She takes off her shoes and casually walks towards her pale red couch. Her eyes look at me from over her shoulder and wait for me to join her. I follow the unsaid instructions and sit down with Emily.

      “I like light colors. They keep it nice and bright in here. Unlike your room.” She says playfully. Suddenly she becomes serious again. “Now back to the Joker. Do you know what he is?”

      “A spirit?” I say vaguely. She sighs in response and nods her head slowly.

      “Yes, Oliver. He's a spirit. But he's not just any spirit.” She pauses and looks about the room with her dark green eyes. She seems to find what she is looking for and jumps up. She grabs a book and plops herself back down beside me. Emily's fingers flip through the pages. “Here it is!” She exclaims and then shows the book to me. Strange runes and symbols litter the page. An image of a tall slim man dressed like a medieval joker dominates the right page.

      “What's so special about this? Is it supposed to be a picture of him? He doesn't seem so bad.” I say to her unknowingly.

      “Look at his smile, Oliver!” She tells me and points at the man's smile. I follow her finger, not expecting anything bad. Suddenly my heart begins to race with fear as the man's twisted smile comes into view. A large crescent moon lies across his face, engulfed in blood and made from two rows of sharp demonic teeth.

      “Is that the Joker?” I ask her, diverting my eyes from the image. She looks at me, nods, and then returns her attention to the book.

      “It reads here that 'the Joker spirit is known to be one of the most evil and most destructive of all spirits. He plays with people's minds and has them destroy themselves both willingly and knowingly.'” She reads to me. Fear spreads across her face. Emily's eyes find themselves looking into mine. “What ever you do, don't listen to him. Stay strong.”

      “Will I be able to? He enters my thoughts without me letting him. He only left when you showed up. Something about you pushes him away.” I ask her, questioning my own strength. For a moment she seems to suffer from doubt, but she shakes it away.

      “You can. I'll be around to help. Now, come on, time to get some sleep. It's late. You can sleep here.” She replies as she gets up, cradling the book in her arms. “There are some blankets and pillows on the ground beside the couch. Sleep well.” She says sweetly and then enters one of the side rooms and closes the door.

      “You too.”

-Zero