TVTT Red Ajah Edition - Poetry Reading

Author: Satrim Kha'os
Published: August 3 2021 - Tar Valon Times Blog Link

Twenty Three Suddenly you are twenty three And living by yourself And working full time You own your own books Grind your own coffee Pay your own rent

Blasting your favorite music through the whole house and trying to decide what to cook for dinner Suddenly all of life’s problems are your own responsibilities

But you musn’t forget that so too are lifes joy

You have your favourite boots; A gorgeous deep burgundy that remind you of the rusty sheet iron and barbed wire of country drives when young

You have your favourite jacket; Covered in pins and patches that shout fuck you I refuse to be quietly myself, I will express who I am and be fiercely true to myself

You have your favourite time of day; When you’ve gotten home after work, your boots are finally off and the smell of a kitchen is showered away and the deep golden afternoon sunlight slips through the corner of the curtains.

Your friends care about you Your best friend smiled today You smiled today Flowers opened The sun rose The moon rose Stars still sparkle Coffee is aromatic Caramel is sticky sweet You are alive, that’s something to be proud of.

Temptation Fire is as fire does And fire beckons to the devils doves. A candle here, red as blood Dripping down over lovers cuffs.

Muffled moans and bitten tongues, copper swill rich as wine. Spill it now, every drop Down down over unfouled gown.

Welcome, young heathen Into Dantes dark realm. Eight rings of delight and one more of slaughter. So play away sweet innocence and sate your thirst.

Fever Dreams Dancing in the dark under midnight clouds and stormlight strobes Deep rhythmic rumble rip my chest open and bare my ribs

Dance child dance, heartbeat flicker flash thunder and gore Bring my end o’ lords of lightning

Gaze down upon me Zues, Thor, Perun and Ba’al Point and whisper perish Dance idiot dance, brilliance blindness and pain, welcome the end

Fever dreams and tossed blankets, cold fresh wind with rain Clouds shift and moonlight settles on frigid aching veins

Tired eyes glance barren walls afore an open window with curtains a’gust as I remember Something something dance and downpour fool under scrutiny

Something in the distance, storms rumbling war drums or angry gods roaring?

Untitled The sun is extinguished and a luke warm rain falls. I am wandering an empty city void of breath but my own. There are no clouds in the sky, just these dancing lights

So beautiful and wondrous yet distant and unreachable. I look up and reach for them and watch as spiraling pinks blues purples move between my fingers. I wish I could move like that; all grace and freedom but instead I am here standing amidst streets lacking traffic.

Where is everyone? Why am I so alone? The thought leaves my lips on the tail of wind An eon within a second passes while I crane my neck upwards when wind returns.

My own voice, near unfamiliar in haunting tone of melancholy. Where is everyone? Why am I so alone?

My heart breaks and I fall to my knees, only broken asphalt between my fingers now. My tears fall like like rain, gentle and warm, leaving dark marks on the ground before fading forever.