In darkened times
All hope has strayed away
And all the dreams of faith wait to incinerate
Smoke lifted through the skies
Maybe it's all for show
After all, the masquerade is all we know
Of a splitting design, fueled in ecstasy

Hope is what you make
And prosperity is what forsakes
Thankfulness is what you take
But the fuel for the fire is what’s at stake

The flames burn bright until the fuel dies out
Then you're left with nothing but doubt
In the midst of despair
There is but one tear
Shed for the memory of the bright

But in that light
The shadow is in the right
And left in the dark
Is the man with little spark
To catch the phoenix
And pluck the feathers for a warming fix
And bring the fire so the rest can swim and rinse
In the cleansing of the flame
And be rescued from this insufferable game

Laced in the compromise of paradise

There will never be enough for all in this world
Some will always suffer the dark and cold
Seems cruel at first but by the time you get old
It becomes clear why this is how it should unfold

Though never quite clear to me
But every bright day it’s easier to see
Still in those dark and musing nights
My soul connects to cosmic rites

Enlightenment is a house with many rooms
And it's blueprint takes many blue moons
So that means your greatness won’t come soon
But if it’s for greatness you swoon
Then it’s not enlightenment you seek
It’s for the mood and ego to rise from weak
Instead of the want to have few needs
This only comes when your soul merely takes thanks to feed

Liberated by truth of life
Can no longer feel the strife
When I embrace the light
That exists only in my heart and head
No longer about avoiding being dead
So much more to feel with than these limbs

Time writes a premature eulogy
As we all fade away
In the land of what should have been