Ravaged Essence

Stumbling into the woods, intimidated
Darkness slips in like a thief
Stealing the fleeting streaks of sunshine
A low rumble fills the Earth
My body, fragile and worn, trembles
The shields that I once wore as a cloak
Tear from my shoulders, vanish
Those that held my hand
Pull away and fall backward into the abyss
Warm arms that secured me have grown cold
Giant gnarled trees close in around me
Suffocating my freedom to breathe
Robbing the choices
Open spaces consumed by unadorned fangs
Paralyzing fear sets in
Trapped, buried
Invasive eyes dart out from behind shadows
Branches of the trees bend toward me
Reaching for me
I crouch down, try to hide inside myself
Long wooden fingers scrape my skin
Where are the delicate words of sustenance?
Instead of compassionate voices of encouragement
The burning sounds of Hell climb the invisible walls
They taunt me, frighten me
My head shakes from side to side frantically
I squeeze my eyes closed
Please, boogeyman, stay in the closet
You must not take me again
Tiny pinpricks run along my spine
The crackle of the mighty boughs rings loudly
As they rip into my flesh
My soul drifts, upward
Lingering in the air, floating on pain
It has come, it is here
The somber engulfment
Wrapping its icy comforter around my broken body
My spirit wants to flee
Far, so far from this dreadful place
Yet, it is ensnared by the razor wire
Tangled and shredded

I do not bleed

There is none left in me

Just an empty urn where ashes will fall

Pendulums cease, time has fallen dead

The space around me no longer exists

Devoid of pure air
A black hole of what was once never there
Silence, not a breath
Deafening stillness
Is it I that is suddenly mute
Or the whole world?
The impenetrable curtain slams down
Forever imprisoning me in reality's crypt.