I walked the stones from Hell and back
Through time itself, and space
My strides were firm, and I never faltered
Until I saw that face.

I faced down demons countless
And wraiths of strength untold
Admittedly, I’ve lived so long
Yet that face alone made me feel old.

How drawn it was, and cold to see
Tortured within the lack of skin
Haunted eyes reached out to me
And simply drew me in.

They spoke of torture, grief and rage
Wrongs that could not be undone
Betrayal of the finest kind
And hope, of which was none

How it intrigued me, I admit it did
And I stared for quite some time
Unable to break the gaze between us
Ensnared like a tiny soul upon a choking vine

You know not of my tortures,
The gaze itself said to me
You only see these dull results
And how death can never be.

I’ve lived so long and tortured,
I can’t bare to lay and rest
For nothing soothes me anymore
This life is but a test.

I have no one to turn to
No one protects my back
I live alone and always
Tortured to the last.

Can you free me, free one?
Can you break my chains?
Can you set me free, free one
So I may live again?

To this I stared, and whispered,
I can do my best
Yet the gaze only laughed and flickered
Then I have failed this test.

I see you look away, free one
For I repulse you so
Trust me, were it in my power
I would flee and go.

But here I remain trapped to the last
My fate I stepped into
I too was free once, and had free choice
Yet never saw the clues.

Is there no way out, I asked of it,
And it simply laughed at me
If there were, would I still stand
Shackled before thee?

I walked the roads of Hell and back,
I said to the terrible eyes
And seen terrors yet untold-
You’ve seen nothing till you live to die.

I’m not alive myself, I said,
But trapped somewhere in-between
And when I heard that soft sad laugh
I knew it was for me.

You are no stranger to this face,
Though you refuse to see
Your life and death is also set
To end up just like me.

I would deny, and call its bluff
This sad and ruined gaze
Until I saw it held a blade
In twisted claws, the skin erased.

You know not of my tortures
You simply see the pain
The rack and ruin of this person
Who will never soar again.

You are wrong, I said so softly,
And looked down to empty space,
I know all too much of your tortures,
And raised my eyes, reached out, and touched my face.