Candle

Life is but a tiny light,

Dancing upon a waxen pyre,

It softly burns itself away,

A subtle, hesitant fire.

Soon the tears of a crying storm,

Or a sudden, resentful gale,

May try their best to snuff it out,

For fragility is prone to fail.

But grieve not on how long it endures,

Do not fret over the tenuous flame,

For despite it’s duration life insures,

All candles end the same.

So become the light during the evening,

Scaring away shadows plenty,

Put an end to cycles of pained weeping,

And thaw the hearts of many.

Find the strength to face the woe,

And kindle someone else’s spark,

Shine brightly with a fervid glow,

Leading other’s from the dark.

The Pirate's Lament

One fateful, hateful summer night 

I crept into a bar 

To wash away my sins, did I 

Though I did not get far 

  

A weathered man approached me 

His eyes a raging sea 

They crashed and seethed with deep intent 

A midnight mystery 

  

"I once was young" he, weary, slurred 

Over his empty glass 

What followed was a warning 

A tale from his past 

  

Once there was a bright young man 

Who joined a bright young crew 

And bright young hands would build a ship 

That sailed the ocean blue 

  

They travelled seas a-seven 

Stole all they could dream of 

But the ocean was a hustler 

And they were fools who fell in love 

  

They pillaged, raped, they stole, they slashed 

Played hooky with the gallows 

But little did they know  

What their mischief would foreshadow 

  

One day they found a parchment scroll 

Just west of brimstone and fire 

"Follow the path marked on this map 

To find what you desire" 

  

"Riches, gold!" a boatswain cheered 

"And women beyond compare!" 

"I bet," the gunner interjects,  

"Be a pretty penny there." 

  

"It's settled!" Captain bellowed out 

The men readied the sails 

With lightened hearts and greedy eyes 

The crew began their trail 

  

For forty days and forty nights 

These boys would seek their gold 

Though six weeks seems much longer  

With no water, food or coal 

  

Through bitter storms that thrash the boat 

its punches crashing waves 

To burning days with nary wind 

That dragged along for days 

  

Finally, they saw their end 

And hidden in the rain 

The cave that hid their treasure chest 

Almost seemed arcane 

  

Not long post entering the mouth 

did thickened fog roll in 

The walls and water disappeared 

As did the pirate's gin 

  

Despite this all, the ship sailed on 

It's pace a sluggish crawl 

And quiet pirates now could hear 

An echo from the walls 

  

"Come, weary sailor, forget what you owe 

You are too handsome to look so alone 

Save me, my darling, take me from the stone 

I'm Juliet and you're my Romeo." 

  

The voices, like honey, sweet and rich 

Drowned the pirate's ears 

It trickled to the brains and hearts 

And painted over fears 

  

In the fog lay silhouettes  

Sitting upon rocks 

Creatures of beauty only known 

By shanties sung on the docks 

  

Deafened by the Mermaid's song 

And blinded by the mist 

They didn’t feel their sinking ship 

Too lustful for a kiss 

  

However, there was a single man 

Who shouted in surprise 

"Stop! What are you doing, men?!" 

Yelled the man with cobalt eyes 

  

"Hush now, my sailor, be one with the sea 

I have been waiting for eternity 

Rest in my arms and you'll surely find peace 

For you are Adam, and I am your Eve." 

  

Now at this point had many men  

dived their ways to hell 

Remaining were a sharper bunch 

Though they remained unwell 

  

Drunken fools leaned off the sides 

Their fingers grazing sea 

The Siren's fingers grasped the heads  

Of victims soon-to-be 

  

And with a kiss that hid sharp teeth 

The men's eyes turned to white 

These monsters sucked the souls of those 

Who sailed in the night 

  

Now alone, the cobalt man 

Kneeled on his sunken ship 

Surrounded by the women who 

Would take him down with it 

  

And finally, the man would raise 

His scathing ocean eyes 

And refuse a kiss from angels 

Who had bid their wings goodbye 

  

"But how did you escape?" I asked 

At the edge of my seat 

The cobalt man just looked through me  

For a while, he did not speak

  

He threw some coins and left the bar 

I followed him in kind 

We made our way down to the beach 

The stars, oh how they shined 

  

"For listening to my story, 

The truth I now will tell 

I once was a young sailor 

And now I'm damned to hell. 

  

They turned me to an angel 

And then tore off my wings 

I live now in these waters 

Where men will hear me sing. 

  

My husband lived in Blackwall 

Was killed for loving men 

And now I haunt the ocean 

To enact my revenge. 

  

I hope you will forgive me 

I know that you will not 

But since you've heard my story 

It is here you will rot." 

- Aria