No Mercy For The Wicked

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Your webs are ripping me into pieces.

They are swallowing me, twisting me.

With surgical precision, you are cutting my story into scrambled thesis,

And I am yet to discover the place where my peace is.

With your claws on my waist testing me,

I let the red fog bury my reasons.

But I was once a different person –

Striking blurry truths with my honesty.

There is, however, only so much a soul can take before turning to arson.

Now I am waving my goodbyes to a far sun,

Washing my palms in liquid modesty,

Listening as they say to you:

“Never lower the bar, son.”

I guess it is true –

No mercy for the wicked, no escape for the fooled.

-JW

Winds

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My neck bends to your winds and spells out every sentence you mutter.

I am enchanted by your hexes as my spite slides down into the gutter.

Not that long ago I volunteered to be one of your muses,

But you rearranged my words like a puzzle, and I politely refused the music.

My arms swing into your winds and cry for your love in the darkest hour.

I am stuck between your teeth with the rest of my world that you devoured.

No, I did not ask you for much, but you were still unconvinced.

Now white walls talk to you in dozens of voices

And I am gone with the winds.

-JW

The Provoked And Resentful

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The rusty iron rods feel like feathers on my chest.

Don’t worry, don’t you decompress,

Just try to do your best

As you’re dealing with your own god complex.

The acid is dripping down my sides in harmony.

It’s not about what you thought of me,

It’s about how you reigned judgement of those who were free

Because you live in fallacies.

I am not your queen, I am not a lady.

Burn the lines if they seem too hazy.

You’re afraid because you just cannot make me into a mirage

With a weak voice and hands that are shaky.

All you want is pedal to the metal.

You’ve only been someone’s first choice when they settled.

I get it, love, it must hurt to fall off the saddle,

So you channel your resentment into the corporate ladder.

And the knives feel gracious on my tongue.

Go and teach a lesson to the young,

Set an example on how to drown a voice yet unsung

As you’re desperately removing my gurgling lungs.

-JW

Every Villain Needs An Origin Story

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You acted like it was difficult to dig a hole in my spine.

You pretended for decades that all the things I have gathered were not really mine.

But I forgave because I always push through the pain.

There are no shortcuts or leeway for those who do not learn the rules of the game.

Guilt knows how to crawl on your shoulders without a sound.

I was running, bruising my own knees just to realize that I was the feared hound.

And you convinced me that letting go is oh, so easy, baby,

But I am on a guilt trip, lost and alone in the desert, with no one left to save me.

The anger inside tears apart all that is tranquil and scenic.

My teeth are sharp, every creature steps back when I smile wide, like I mean it.

You act cool, you keep your distance, you just observe

As they come up with theories about my origin story that are nothing but absurd.

I forgave you then, and like clockwork I forgive you now.

You know they will never believe me, a beast this violently off-putting and loud.

Humiliation is a strong leash; it chokes you without a sound.

I keep running, bruising my own knees, knowing too well I am forever bound.

-JW

The Line

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In the dawn your brown eyes seem fleeting and bleak.

I scare myself with the words I speak.

You, only you, deserve the truth more than the others.

For you I betray my oldest friends and closest brothers.

My neck bends the way you breathe.

Still, I refuse to agree when they howl as I speak.

You wrap around me like the greenest vine.

We agreed years ago that for you I will cross the line.

-JW

Under The Surface

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Wait for me as the sea retreats,

Watch as it slips back into its seat

And waves when I disappear.

My home’s deep under the surface,

Where only the water circles.

It strangles my circuits.

Do not turn off the light beneath.

The abyss needs to feed,

It is looking up at your feet.

Never trust the darkness below

As it lurks, wanting you to slow.

And wait for me as the sea retreats,

Breathe out once more,

Then follow me into the heat.

-JW

Betray Me Once More

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She never turned around, never even reconsidered.

I might be a lost cause, at least I am not a sinner.

The red car glistened in the sun as she balefully sped away,

Leaving me behind and knowing –

I will not live another day.

They tried to force a false confession out of me.

Did I kill him for fun or was it for jealousy?

The anger I felt turned into a ticking time bomb in my head.

The more violent they turned,

The more I saw red.

Next week’s papers will probably cover the scene –

Another body found by the Yellow Ravine.

Because I did confess, baby, saying it was all you, not me.

They offered me a head start,

Some form of clemency.

And it really was not difficult to track down the car.

I used to own it before you cheated me, after all.

“Betray me once and we are in the clear,

Betray me once more

And lose all you hold dear.”

-JW

Goner’s Lullaby

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When they dragged me away, you swore not to save me.

They dug a hole in the ground for me, baby.

If there is no one left to blame,

You can always blame me.

But do not assign me the shame,

Do not even mutter the words “they made me”.

When the push came to shove, you betrayed me.

I thought your intentions were not hazy.

But you know what they say –

Deceit only serves the lazy.

Stop confusing hunters with their prey,

Your poison is weaker than that of white daisies.

And I know you have long lost the strength to face me.

We do not have all night, baby.

You know the guilt is heavy already –

So, turn around or live with this daily.

I am still standing but my feet are unsteady.

If you just changed your mind, you could still save me.

-JW

Escape Route

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My right knee is bleeding out, and she is seeing red.

I am limping towards the car,

Barely keeping up my head.

“No finish line, only the start.”

Tires are screeching in the distance,

And I am not sure that we can make it.

Her lips close as she listens,

Confident yet jaded.

We hit the road in full force –

This is not the time to decelerate.

We heard they expect us up north

And we will not let them celebrate.

No, not today, let me live another night.

Allow me to hold her hand

As the stars embalm us in light

In the middle of the badlands…

I feel like slipping into darkness.

My grey jeans are dripping red.

She is trying her hardest

To put this chase to bed.

I know I must concentrate –

Must keep myself from bleeding out.

We turn, we accelerate.

The nausea turns into doubt.

Why are we passing the gas station?

It is up north from the town.

“Better price, a closer destination.

You either cheat or you drown.”

And her dark eyes grow azure

When she sees my realization.

Another siren turned slasher,

Another lover confused with a perfect stranger.

-JW

Unconscious / Her

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She said I should meet her at 5 AM by the rugged graveyard.

I know she wouldn’t beg for forgiveness,

Apologies never got her far.

I’ve tried compromising one too many times,

And as devil is my witness –

Her face is a vivid red light,

It’s screaming “survival of the fittest”.

I know I shouldn’t have crossed that line,

Shouldn’t have sworn on my life.

But her caramel locks sprinkled on my chest erased it all –

The wicked brawls and the insults,

Her shaky voice after robbing another mall

As she phoned me to consult

Or to get out of another fight she started.

Her face looked grim but jokes still tasted lighthearted.

Her lips reeked of whiskey

But it was always her smile that got me drunk.

I faded into droplets for her until everything was misty,

Until she shot silver arrows with her tongue,

Swearing she would never miss me…

And then I wake up with her warm palm on my forehead,

Five years have flown by but it’s still the same smile,

Too damn gorgeous, a hothead turned horrid.

Yet, she would still drive miles to save my life.

Hence, pardon me if my thoughts run all florid.

She’s anything but rife.

-JW