Paul: I am only dreaming
There is light and sound
There is love and fear
But I feel so lost
And I feel so betrayed.
Deep down I know
That they have burned
every bridge that I must cross
To get back home.
I am a machine
I am only a flicker of a man

So let me tell you why you're so right
And you'll tell me why I'm so wrong
I'm sick and tired of your lies
And being pushed so close
To the bottom

If you ask for all that I have
And I've given everything
Please tell me what is left for me.
If I have given you my love
And you have eaten all my trust
Then what is left for us?

I am a machine.
I am a vessel.
I am only the flicker of a man.
See the eyes
So tired,
They define all I am
And all that I will ever be.


This is where my hopes are broken
Where my fears become reality.
Where the nightmare becomes my truth
and the flash from the gun
Casts images from the reels of my youth.

The Line

There will always be heroes.
Those who step forth and lead.
The ones who are remembered,
But they are also the ones whose
Lives are cut short in exchange for immortality.
The story of Ethan and Paul,
The two eldest sons of the Magistrate,
Is one that echoed across
The fronts of the dreaded war.
It is said that they both fought
Bravely and did not relent
Against an enemy whom they
Repelled at the cost of their own lives.
They are known as heroes.
Their story is filled
With such great feats
And is spoken with such sweeping love,
That it is one that has never been forgotten.
But that story,
As beautiful and heartbreaking as it may be,
is also a lie...

Ethan:
The line grows further into the horizon
Feet marching in unison
Hearts beating as one,
Not knowing if we'll
Make it out alive.
Brother, my brother,
I am so afraid,
Brother, my brother,
I fear only for my life.
These men around me
They are not my family
I hate this place and all that it does to me
This is life embellished with black and white,
I miss the color of my old life.
The night sets its roots
so deep into my bones
and as the dawn breaks
I only wish to be back at home.
This isn't who I am.
This isn't who I want to be.
Brother my brother,
I just want to go back home.
Brother oh brother,
I miss the warmth and
I can't bare this cold.
Brother my brother
I just want to go back home.
Brother oh brother
I don't want to die alone.

Adonis: Do you feel the cold?
The shiver running up your spine.
I can sense your courage
as it bleeds out of your light.
I trust you are not here
for my humble hospitality,
but a Prince in this dreaded place,
my friends, this is new to me.


Peter: I am no prince.
My father is no king.
My family simply fell next in line,
but now it is my time
to protect all that will be mine

Adonis: How convenient
that the web has spun itself
in such a beautiful fashion,
but your father dear boy is the spider,
corrupt with a greedy passion.
I wouldn't trust a man
with so much to lose,
pitted with two options,
he will have no problem when it becomes time choose.
you are a fly caught in a web Peter,
nothing more nothing less,
his words rolled off his tongue
like the waves onto the shore.


Ava: Your words seem to address
our obvious unrest
with this journey placed in our hands,
you see our fear
through these pale lamps.

Peter: His words do not bridge any gaps.
They simply lead us further in circles.
His words fall upon these walls
and nothing else,
we must go on,
we must return before the dawn.

Adonis: Dear boy you do not see
that you are caught in desperate times.
Are to be a prince or a son?
You cannot be both in his eyes.

Peter: My father would never
betray me.
He would not condemn his blood.

Ava: Peter please hear this out
I can sense your mind is full of doubt.
Your heart is not what pushes you forward,
but instead this need to be
all your father says he needs

Peter: All my life I've sat and watched,
i've hidden behind the curtain,
My brothers were brave,
but I was always afraid,
this is my chance to show him
that my destiny is to lead.

Adonis: Let destiny burn!
Let it fade away.
You will die here Peter,
this is all just a game.
Is your foolish pride
enough to justify
all that will happen
if you continue on this path?

Ava: Peter what if all he says is true.

Peter: He's just a man in the dark.
He's lost his grip.
How could he know any of this?

Adonis: Bones seared black
and dust in the air.
This is what awaits you
at the end of these stairs.

Peter: I've heard enough.
Here I stand.
Obeying with full consciousness
of my actions.
they are my reflection.
i will not get lost in the dark,
his words were the match
and i am the spark.

Adonis: Your fate has been sealed
young prince.
You've buried your name
in a fiery grave.
That room is not a room,
but only a tomb,
built by your father
and sealed by you.

Peter: I now see what this means,
and i hold this great weight
on my shoulders for all to see.
I will fulfill my destiny.

after the burial

agraceful

alesana

artist vs poet

broadway

cartel

closure in moscow

the color morale

the dangerous summer

deas vail

edison glass

fight fair

fireworks

fotc

forgive durden

house of heroes

the lives of famous men

lower definition

manchester orchestra

the myriad

no bragging rights

of machines

parachute

promise of redemption

the receiving end of sirens

rookie of the year

set it aside

set your goals

the sound of animals fighting

sparks the rescue

the subtle way

sugarcult

the swellers

this providence

this time next year

tides of man

vanna

the wedding

the wonder years

take cover

Part 4: The Winding Staircase

Peter: I refute my

chosen path.

I can't settle this feeling

in my gut, that speaks

and rings just as clearly

in my head, as the words

that my father has branded me with.

We have lost so much,

and yet he seems so

indifferent to the fact

that I am his only son.

And yet here I am,

obeying, knowing that I should not,

because I've seen his eyes,

they belong to the lion

in the grass waiting patiently.

I refuse to give up ground,

yet this concrete sky

and steepening steps seem

to slither and curve like the snake

that has found its way

deep into my chest.

This is my glory,

this is my past,

and whatever waits beneath

will become all that i have left.

Alex: This is no longer your burden

to carry alone,

as your guilt and worry

fills the cup to its fullest,

you become the gentleman,

set out to purge the walls

of all that contains him

and as your pulse quickens,

purloining your bravery,

your eyes begin to open.

Your fear, is our fear.

And our hands embrace yours,

shaking, seeking some sort

of relief to set ourselves apart

from the pale light of our lamps

and into the blinding warmth of the sun.

Peter: This constant rush of thoughts,

smudges like lights in the fog.

The wet ink, touched too soon;

my courage resembles their form.

I wish for the storm,

because I welcome the waves.

I want to be lost in this sea,
carried away from this place.

Alex: We wish to return to

what we once knew.

Before wars defined men,

and children were strangers

to death.

Peter & Alex: This is my life,

a light flickering in a gust of wind

untitled

A pale blue light burns my eyes,
The numbers still slowly counting down.
I am crying.
Gasping for breath.
Groping frantically for your body
But instead,
I find sheets cold
With my sweat.
It seems that only seconds ago,
I was striking the ground
Cursing a God who takes away
All we love.
A playground bully,
And there is no teacher to save us.
You were here, and now
Gone, so forever my puzzle shall remain incomplete,
Faded and cracked as your picture
Is in my thoughts.
I sit and find my senses in the pale blue light,
And you lay sleeping, miles away.
Unaware you had just died.

Part 5: An Abrupt Halt

Now knowing their purpose,
and far below the surface,
The Winding Staircase halted,
the game was now faulted.
Into Level 25 they must journey,
for their passage will take some searching,
Peter now realized at last,
his journey wore more than one mask.

Peter: Inside this door,
another staircase lays,
perhaps hidden so cleverly,
perhaps sitting out as plain as day.

Alex: We are ready when you are,
our journey has brought us so far.
but keep in mind,
we do not know what dangers might lurk behind.

Peter: Beyond this point,
we stick together.
if we become separated,
this labyrinth of rooms
may keep it that way forever.

Ava: Please, words are useless.
We all know that together
is our only way through this.

Peter: This door is not burned.
It opens freely.
How odd, that we must skip these,
and burn the very last beneath it.

Ava: This floor is completely untouched!
It is lit so well
it seems here,
no body or thing has ever dwelled.

Alex: The rooms are merely frames,
hollow like this home.
This place was never finished,
perhaps there is no staircase in it.

Peter: There must be a passage,
if not it defeats our purpose,
why else would they send us
so far below the surface.

Ava: I feel something is not right,
this thought burns through to my stomach,
though this room is so bright,
gloom is still present on it.

Alex: There is something we are not seeing,
our vision is surely distracted.
This room must have some sort of trick
to finding our passage.

Peter: The floors, they seem to shine
as though they are made of gold.
Perhaps in darkness,
our path may be told.
Break the lights!
The reflection shall die,
we must try for we are wasting time.


Alex: My friend your theory is correct,
the floor casts no more glare.
The staircase surely is hidden
somewhere over there.

Peter: I have found it.
We must press on.
This is where our lives
must become bold.