Through Thick and Thin
My Forest
Show me the way
The way out of this dark bleak sundown
Rise my sun to bring soft morning to my pain
Find some way to ease this pain
I've lost my way in this dark forest
The forest I planted
Unruly and overgrown
Turned against the planter
Thorns took over the path catching my skin
Slashing my epithelial layers
Blood dripping to the invisible forest floor
I am lost in my own world
Once a beautiful grove
Now ugly overgrowth of weeds and briers
Showing the true torment of my soul
Each twisting branch and leaf represents my confusion and pain
No light leaks through the thick canopy
No moon to show dim illumination
I cannot run
I cannot turn around
I've twisted and wound my way deep into the forest
It has to end somewhere
I hoped that if I kept walking maybe I would eventually walk myself out
Praying for that relief to leave this hellish grove
But I am lost
Who knows how long
All I want is out.
Piper Marau
Tempest
Yeah, how stupid could I be
Dipping my feet in the most dangerous lake
It pulls you down the stream so playful
You never hear that waterfall until you go over
It all looked so peaceful from a distance
Pulling you under, there is no escape
There is no fixing what has been done this time
I try to ignore you as I pass this lake
Every time though, temptation draws me in
Again I am pulled under and down to the rocks
Like each day repeats itself and I try to resist
How can I escape this tempest today
Is there another way I can walk this time
Some way to alter this time loop
But again I think a nice swim will do
I won't go in deep, I'll just play a bit and leave
Then the undertow catches me and pulls me 'round
It feels so blissful in that water
I've never felt so alive than when down that stream
Then the morning comes and I am torn among the rocks
And it all starts over again
Piper Marau
Yeah, how stupid could I be
Dipping my feet in the most dangerous lake
It pulls you down the stream so playful
You never hear that waterfall until you go over
It all looked so peaceful from a distance
Pulling you under, there is no escape
There is no fixing what has been done this time
I try to ignore you as I pass this lake
Every time though, temptation draws me in
Again I am pulled under and down to the rocks
Like each day repeats itself and I try to resist
How can I escape this tempest today
Is there another way I can walk this time
Some way to alter this time loop
But again I think a nice swim will do
I won't go in deep, I'll just play a bit and leave
Then the undertow catches me and pulls me 'round
It feels so blissful in that water
I've never felt so alive than when down that stream
Then the morning comes and I am torn among the rocks
And it all starts over again
Piper Marau
Cashing In
I sat alone in those woods
The animals running about me
The darkness settled, the chill rose
The sweet smell of rotted leaves
Drifted through my senses
I took one last look around
The sun making its final goodbye
No longer were the clouds radiant
A dense air filled the night
The feeling crept over me
No, I am not alone
My fears chased me into this wood
Imaginary terrors kept me in
Eyes gone black with insanity
The fog has swallowed my figure
Then plays the scenes of my past
The loss and pain I've caused
"Run, Run, Faster, Now breathe
Feel the sweat as it drips into your eyes
Notice as the muscle begins to tear
You have work to do"
I'm caught and sold, I know
MY soul rented to pay my debts
Here I exist only to suffer
My daemons coaching me
Showing me my right and wrong
Making me sorry for every day
I wait for death, gladly
To sweep across my body and steal me away
No death exists here
The smell of earth has come back to me
The animals are stirring
I look around my shackles
My chains were removed
I turned to see myself
Standing before me I felt such sorrow
I collapsed to the ground weeping
She mourned the lost, she felt no peace
Full of emptiness in her heart and pain in her soul
The evil that resides in me
The sun now makes its first glow
She roars for me to get up
Flames shoot through her eyes
"GO. You've paid part of your debt
The rest, you must carry. A mark of shame
No love but true love may endure your mark.
Don't be careless. Go, but you are not released."
Her eyes went black with sadness
The forest was becoming clear
Alone I stood among the trees
The voices disappear
I knew my turn had come
All things come back around
Myself, to be black listed
Now I must start over
Slapped back into the Right
I see the path before me
The sun now shining in my eyes.
Piper Marau
The Path to Self Destruction
On the road
Along the way
Crimson sunlight peaks
Ready to start the day
Upon this path I'm forced to see
The images and people
And how they used to haunt me
A bird flies left
A rustle in the trees
I stop a moment to give my heart rest
A long journey its been
For weeks and months I've searched
Such a demolition on this path
No wrong turns left to make
Somehow I know I'm nearing the end
It becomes so bright despite the wood
Time again to move
Perhaps this time for good
Alone, I've wandered
Pushing out all search and rescue
Determined by pride, abandoned by love
The torment has ended
Now only a flash back
I emerge this day
So scalded, shed away my old skin
Upon this path of self destruction I've found
The strength to live within
Piper Marau
The Wood
Again, here I am
Standing at the crossroads
The same birds singing in the trees
With the heat of the sun
Beating on my shoulders
To the left I see
The tempest I've visited so much
I hear the water dancing on the pebbles
It calls me so sweetly
But I know better
To the right I see a gnarled wood
Dark and thick it stretches
I remind myself there is a light at the end
Through it is the most dangerous path of the two
Filled with inner daemons
The frightening truths you don't want to see
Both filled with trials, the paths wind on
One to destroy me with temptation
The other filled with the consequence of temptation
My feet grow restless as I contemplate my direction
The memories flood my vision
The pain and torture I suffered on each path
How facing near death to the left taught me the value of life
I gained a new desire to live
To the right I fought against my fears
Facing the horrible things I have done
My skin torn from the thorns
I look again down each path
Remembering the lessons I had learned
How walking in circles brought me back to this same spot
And this time my decision is to turn around
And go another way.
Piper Marau