Twisted Poem by Joyce Rugg

Trapped, in endless dark
Searching, hoping for a spark
Blackness all around,
It's weight driving me to the ground

Down on my knees, the position of prayer
But why bother? God isn't there
Too much pressure and I bow
To the demons, my shadow now

A thousand lies whispered in my ears
A chilling chorus of my darkest fears
All my life, fighting both darkness and light
My saniy gone, a beast roams the night

Rampant chaos, a whirlpool of thoughts swirling
Before me, dozens of paths unfurling
Ways of darkness appeal most to me
The light too cruel; revealing things I don't wish to see

Relentless, my ghosts follow me
A haunting prescence I can't see
Trailing me, making me paranoid
Pushing me closer to the welcoming void

I look back, at the path I've tread so far
Made of broken stones, many sharp enough to scar
Beneath my feet, spots of light
On my way, a break from this constant night

Above me, bent branches form faces
Pairs of eyes peer at me through dark spaces
Some kind; some cold
It's through these faces that my story's told

At times, only one thing stops me from giving in
Not sanity, but selfishness; I won't let them win
They killed me with careless words, a thousand times crueler than their actions
My pride won't let me break, give in to their distractions

Their faces before me, sickeningly smug
Anger fills me, my poison, my drug
When I long to take the dive
Into eternal rest, my enemies keep me alive