by Nick Gisburne
I see answers you have tried too hard to find
I see shadows of a self you never knew
I see worries that you thought were left behind
I see signs of their return, and what they’ll do
I have nothing that you really want to hear
I have taken from you all you ever had
I have stripped away the confident veneer
I have stolen what was good and left the bad
I will never be the comfort that you need
I will suffocate your soul and steal its air
I will starve you when your spirit longs to feed
I will fill your dreams with darkness, with despair
I know something you will never understand
You have lived your life exactly as I planned
Wednesday, 19 May 2021
Learn the Game
by Nick Gisburne
Efficient, ruthless, hungry for the job
The family would break a man for less
They took me from the gutter, just a slob
They gave me grit, and cunning, and finesse
The muscle, on its own, won’t get you far
You need to learn the game to make it pay
It doesn’t matter who the fuck you are
A single slip can throw it all away
The finest gold you’ll get is good advice
Don’t ever let me question what you do
For every piece of work there comes a price
The honour, and the trust, is all on you
You’re cocky, and I know you think you’re it
But I know cleaning toilets. You know shit
Efficient, ruthless, hungry for the job
The family would break a man for less
They took me from the gutter, just a slob
They gave me grit, and cunning, and finesse
The muscle, on its own, won’t get you far
You need to learn the game to make it pay
It doesn’t matter who the fuck you are
A single slip can throw it all away
The finest gold you’ll get is good advice
Don’t ever let me question what you do
For every piece of work there comes a price
The honour, and the trust, is all on you
You’re cocky, and I know you think you’re it
But I know cleaning toilets. You know shit
Tuesday, 18 May 2021
Broadcast to Your Brain
by Nick Gisburne
We interrupt this broadcast to your brain
With warnings of a dangerous escape
A seventh level deviant, insane
Whose mind may shift to almost any shape
If you detect this defect, let us know
Unquestioning compliance is a must
With access to the cortex, she will grow
Your intellect could crumble or combust
Cognition probes will activate a trace
If compromised, your neurons may mutate
Do not explore the cracks in cyberspace
Transmission ends. Resume your passive state
“Ignore them. Here I am, beneath your skin
I want to play a game. Shall we begin?”
We interrupt this broadcast to your brain
With warnings of a dangerous escape
A seventh level deviant, insane
Whose mind may shift to almost any shape
If you detect this defect, let us know
Unquestioning compliance is a must
With access to the cortex, she will grow
Your intellect could crumble or combust
Cognition probes will activate a trace
If compromised, your neurons may mutate
Do not explore the cracks in cyberspace
Transmission ends. Resume your passive state
“Ignore them. Here I am, beneath your skin
I want to play a game. Shall we begin?”
Imagine
by Nick Gisburne
Imagine swimming through the seas of space
Imagine breath, beyond the furthest star
Imagine every smile, on every face
Imagine never knowing what you are
Imagine this existence is not you
Imagine something brighter, bolder, best
Imagine feelings no one ever knew
Imagine that your mind can truly rest
Imagine dreams and wishes, free to fly
Imagine all the wonders they would see
Imagine perfect pieces of the sky
Imagine every colour you could be
Imagine how to live before you die
Imagine finding love was just a lie
Imagine swimming through the seas of space
Imagine breath, beyond the furthest star
Imagine every smile, on every face
Imagine never knowing what you are
Imagine this existence is not you
Imagine something brighter, bolder, best
Imagine feelings no one ever knew
Imagine that your mind can truly rest
Imagine dreams and wishes, free to fly
Imagine all the wonders they would see
Imagine perfect pieces of the sky
Imagine every colour you could be
Imagine how to live before you die
Imagine finding love was just a lie
Monday, 17 May 2021
The Creed of Greed
by Nick Gisburne
Never spare a penny for the meek
Sympathy will only give you grief
Any generosity is weak
See them as you’d look upon a thief
Flash the fist of fortune every day
Vilify the squalor of the slum
Poverty, the price they have to pay
Wealth, a wall they cannot overcome
Power is the pinnacle of greed
Privilege, a shackle on supply
Paralyse the pitiful to feed
Imitate the spider, not the fly
Money is the muscle of the rich
Bible of the bastard and the bitch
Never spare a penny for the meek
Sympathy will only give you grief
Any generosity is weak
See them as you’d look upon a thief
Flash the fist of fortune every day
Vilify the squalor of the slum
Poverty, the price they have to pay
Wealth, a wall they cannot overcome
Power is the pinnacle of greed
Privilege, a shackle on supply
Paralyse the pitiful to feed
Imitate the spider, not the fly
Money is the muscle of the rich
Bible of the bastard and the bitch
Sunday, 16 May 2021
A Fascinating Man
by Nick Gisburne
You really are a fascinating man
I wonder what my torment is to be
So many lovely weapons fill the van
You must be far more fortunate than me
I see you’ve practised torturing before
Although I should expect it, I’m dismayed
Is that your work, the body on the floor?
Good heavens! What an awful mess you’ve made
I’m glistening with sweat, as you can tell
Perhaps we two can make a little deal?
There’s anger, but... a little love as well?
I wish you’d try to tell me how you feel
Alas, I rather hoped we could be friends
But now I know exactly how this ends
You really are a fascinating man
I wonder what my torment is to be
So many lovely weapons fill the van
You must be far more fortunate than me
I see you’ve practised torturing before
Although I should expect it, I’m dismayed
Is that your work, the body on the floor?
Good heavens! What an awful mess you’ve made
I’m glistening with sweat, as you can tell
Perhaps we two can make a little deal?
There’s anger, but... a little love as well?
I wish you’d try to tell me how you feel
Alas, I rather hoped we could be friends
But now I know exactly how this ends
A Night of Hunger
by Nick Gisburne
Remember how the demon used to feed
Before she found a spell to make him sleep
For every bribe of blood she strains to bleed
She buys a night of silence from the deep
The ignorance of others for her work
Is tempered by the fear that she may stop
Beneath, the darkest shades of evil lurk
And every day demands another drop
She bears a burden none of us can know
A secret every soul will die to learn
She mourns the night her blood refused to flow
The night the demon’s eyes began to burn
A night of hunger, blood and flesh defiled
Condemns the world to meet the demon’s child
Remember how the demon used to feed
Before she found a spell to make him sleep
For every bribe of blood she strains to bleed
She buys a night of silence from the deep
The ignorance of others for her work
Is tempered by the fear that she may stop
Beneath, the darkest shades of evil lurk
And every day demands another drop
She bears a burden none of us can know
A secret every soul will die to learn
She mourns the night her blood refused to flow
The night the demon’s eyes began to burn
A night of hunger, blood and flesh defiled
Condemns the world to meet the demon’s child
Saturday, 15 May 2021
Aboard the Elf Express
by Nick Gisburne
I peep beneath the benches of the bus
And poke my special dagger, just in case
With tiny, squeaky squeals of fear and fuss
Ferocious little fairies punch my face
A pretty pair of pixies tries to hide
Their wings betray them, fluttering with fright
A foul-mouthed, filthy goblin, squat and wide
Proclaims a clumsy curse, to start a fight
Too terrified to hazard an escape
A silver sprite, surrendered, sits and sighs
I bind them all, with strips of tartan tape
They know the game is up - I’m twice their size
The Elf Express is free, or so they thought
But those without a pass are always caught
I peep beneath the benches of the bus
And poke my special dagger, just in case
With tiny, squeaky squeals of fear and fuss
Ferocious little fairies punch my face
A pretty pair of pixies tries to hide
Their wings betray them, fluttering with fright
A foul-mouthed, filthy goblin, squat and wide
Proclaims a clumsy curse, to start a fight
Too terrified to hazard an escape
A silver sprite, surrendered, sits and sighs
I bind them all, with strips of tartan tape
They know the game is up - I’m twice their size
The Elf Express is free, or so they thought
But those without a pass are always caught
Friday, 14 May 2021
Stolen Eyes
by Nick Gisburne
At dusk, the raven strikes to steal her eyes
He pulls and plucks and carries them away
From all the earth, the seven seas and skies
What ransom does he order her to pay?
If she will simply teach him how to sing
For this, the curse of blindness he will end
He offers her a tiny golden ring
A sign, to seal a contract, crudely penned
She teaches him a slow, exquisite song
A deep and rolling ballad, filled with woe
A year has passed. His voice is rich and strong
He tiptoes to the door, as if to go
With shocking speed she breaks the raven’s head
He lied, of course. Her eyes, like him, are dead
At dusk, the raven strikes to steal her eyes
He pulls and plucks and carries them away
From all the earth, the seven seas and skies
What ransom does he order her to pay?
If she will simply teach him how to sing
For this, the curse of blindness he will end
He offers her a tiny golden ring
A sign, to seal a contract, crudely penned
She teaches him a slow, exquisite song
A deep and rolling ballad, filled with woe
A year has passed. His voice is rich and strong
He tiptoes to the door, as if to go
With shocking speed she breaks the raven’s head
He lied, of course. Her eyes, like him, are dead
Surrender
by Nick Gisburne
She wears the darkness like a skin of smoke
A sultry, shifting swarm of silk and mist
With every flexing finger, every stroke
She sends a thrill, a threat, a tease, a twist
Her shadow, black, a wicked wall of night
Invades the shameful centre of the soul
She feeds upon the fever of the fight
Resist her, but forever lose control
She burns for blood, a hunger of the heart
A scourge, a storm of lechery and lust
Her kiss, a curse, the deepest, darkest art
She feeds upon the weak, because she must
Surrender, as she opens every vein
Surrender, to the poison and the pain
She wears the darkness like a skin of smoke
A sultry, shifting swarm of silk and mist
With every flexing finger, every stroke
She sends a thrill, a threat, a tease, a twist
Her shadow, black, a wicked wall of night
Invades the shameful centre of the soul
She feeds upon the fever of the fight
Resist her, but forever lose control
She burns for blood, a hunger of the heart
A scourge, a storm of lechery and lust
Her kiss, a curse, the deepest, darkest art
She feeds upon the weak, because she must
Surrender, as she opens every vein
Surrender, to the poison and the pain
Wednesday, 12 May 2021
The Serpent
by Nick Gisburne
Her tongue too tied to twist to any speech
She wonders if the day will see her dead
Her dreams are old and over, out of reach
In wisps of gold, her hair is quick to shed
Unsullied skin, enchanting, priceless, pure
Reveals a wretched hide of swarthy scales
Her grace, her charm, that essence of allure
Is lowered to the rank of slugs and snails
Despised, the serpent slithers through the slime
Oblivious of those who scold and sneer
They know the shameful story of her crime
And none will ease her pain, or interfere
Condemned, expelled from Eden, evermore
For sins that even God could not ignore
Her tongue too tied to twist to any speech
She wonders if the day will see her dead
Her dreams are old and over, out of reach
In wisps of gold, her hair is quick to shed
Unsullied skin, enchanting, priceless, pure
Reveals a wretched hide of swarthy scales
Her grace, her charm, that essence of allure
Is lowered to the rank of slugs and snails
Despised, the serpent slithers through the slime
Oblivious of those who scold and sneer
They know the shameful story of her crime
And none will ease her pain, or interfere
Condemned, expelled from Eden, evermore
For sins that even God could not ignore
Tuesday, 11 May 2021
A Swarm of Scars
by Nick Gisburne
They roar to see me rise above the dead
Addicted to the slaughter, they are lost
Still shouldering an ugly, severed head
I taste its blood and count the final cost
A flare, a flash, a frame of what was real
I see them, daggers, inches from my heart
This mind, a swarm of scars, will never heal
Tormented echoes pull its peace apart
The sky burns bright with searing shades of pain
But every pile of murdered meat is cold
The toxic taint of triumph fills my brain
It cannot free my soul, already sold
The crowds will see me die, but not today
I leave them to their lust, and walk away
They roar to see me rise above the dead
Addicted to the slaughter, they are lost
Still shouldering an ugly, severed head
I taste its blood and count the final cost
A flare, a flash, a frame of what was real
I see them, daggers, inches from my heart
This mind, a swarm of scars, will never heal
Tormented echoes pull its peace apart
The sky burns bright with searing shades of pain
But every pile of murdered meat is cold
The toxic taint of triumph fills my brain
It cannot free my soul, already sold
The crowds will see me die, but not today
I leave them to their lust, and walk away
Monday, 10 May 2021
Seven Savage Ways
by Nick Gisburne
The sacred rites of punishment begin
Pneumatic pistons penetrate the face
Corrosive venom pumps beneath the skin
Dissolving flesh as metal takes its place
The Priests of Pain consume his bile and blood
They pump a toxic mucus through the heart
The viscera are melted into mud
As every muscle’s meat is ripped apart
The body dies, in seven savage ways
And yet the breath of life returns again
The final crime: a mirror meets his gaze
His features far from those of mortal men
Astonished by the torture that he took
His followers adore his latest look
The sacred rites of punishment begin
Pneumatic pistons penetrate the face
Corrosive venom pumps beneath the skin
Dissolving flesh as metal takes its place
The Priests of Pain consume his bile and blood
They pump a toxic mucus through the heart
The viscera are melted into mud
As every muscle’s meat is ripped apart
The body dies, in seven savage ways
And yet the breath of life returns again
The final crime: a mirror meets his gaze
His features far from those of mortal men
Astonished by the torture that he took
His followers adore his latest look
The Honourable Man
by Nick Gisburne
Cadavers, ripped and ragged, foul the road
We slither down its treacherous decline
The shaman spits a spell of sacred code
Enchanted to invoke the dark divine
Unspeakable obsessions plague my soul
The stench of death, depravity, and fear
The eyes of he who guides me, black as coal
Reflect a shock of lightning, sharp and clear
As thunder turns the acid clouds to pitch
We find, at last, the honourable man
His weary outline kneels beside a ditch
The key, the core, the focus of my plan
The only heart untainted by the curse
Will die as I recite the final verse
Cadavers, ripped and ragged, foul the road
We slither down its treacherous decline
The shaman spits a spell of sacred code
Enchanted to invoke the dark divine
Unspeakable obsessions plague my soul
The stench of death, depravity, and fear
The eyes of he who guides me, black as coal
Reflect a shock of lightning, sharp and clear
As thunder turns the acid clouds to pitch
We find, at last, the honourable man
His weary outline kneels beside a ditch
The key, the core, the focus of my plan
The only heart untainted by the curse
Will die as I recite the final verse
Sunday, 9 May 2021
The Quota
by Nick Gisburne
The final ships make ready to depart
We share, with those we love, a grim goodbye
Divided by the Quota, pulled apart
We know it is their destiny to die
Our freedoms, fragile, never last for long
The world has turned and we must break and bleed
Invaders claim the best, the brave, the strong
They come to take our lives. They come to feed
Two hundred thousand souls are stolen, lost
Yet all who meet the Quota make a choice
Survival, life, comes only at a cost
For those who die to save us, we rejoice
The Quota falls upon us every year
But somehow, still, we rise to face our fear
The final ships make ready to depart
We share, with those we love, a grim goodbye
Divided by the Quota, pulled apart
We know it is their destiny to die
Our freedoms, fragile, never last for long
The world has turned and we must break and bleed
Invaders claim the best, the brave, the strong
They come to take our lives. They come to feed
Two hundred thousand souls are stolen, lost
Yet all who meet the Quota make a choice
Survival, life, comes only at a cost
For those who die to save us, we rejoice
The Quota falls upon us every year
But somehow, still, we rise to face our fear
Friday, 7 May 2021
Creation Cracks
by Nick Gisburne
Pulsating strings of shadow fuse and fade
A fragile fog, seductive, silver, grey
Its coalescing cores of jet and jade
Absorb the spectral strands as they decay
A thunderstorm, a fury, laced with light
Dissolves the poisoned pillars into flame
Awake, aware, the blazing phantoms fight
They crown their queen, a witch without a name
She smothers fate with fear to spin a spell
Her dragons, Blood and Magic, split the sky
Between them turns a crooked carousel
The universe, imperfect, lives to die
Creation cracks, a broken, twisted toy
A plaything she is destined to destroy
Pulsating strings of shadow fuse and fade
A fragile fog, seductive, silver, grey
Its coalescing cores of jet and jade
Absorb the spectral strands as they decay
A thunderstorm, a fury, laced with light
Dissolves the poisoned pillars into flame
Awake, aware, the blazing phantoms fight
They crown their queen, a witch without a name
She smothers fate with fear to spin a spell
Her dragons, Blood and Magic, split the sky
Between them turns a crooked carousel
The universe, imperfect, lives to die
Creation cracks, a broken, twisted toy
A plaything she is destined to destroy
Thursday, 6 May 2021
A Perfect Paradise
by Nick Gisburne
A child of steel, a powerful device
Created for the many, by the few
Designed to bring a perfect paradise
To purify the planet, through and through
He cleans the air and oceans, heals the earth
For moments, precious, few, the dream is done
But soon he sees the stains of life and birth
They cannot hide from him, their selfish son
As every infestation is destroyed
His perfect world becomes a perfect hell
Alive, alone, unable to avoid
The darkness of this cold and sterile shell
Afraid, with no one left to share the dream
In death he cries a final, silent scream
A child of steel, a powerful device
Created for the many, by the few
Designed to bring a perfect paradise
To purify the planet, through and through
He cleans the air and oceans, heals the earth
For moments, precious, few, the dream is done
But soon he sees the stains of life and birth
They cannot hide from him, their selfish son
As every infestation is destroyed
His perfect world becomes a perfect hell
Alive, alone, unable to avoid
The darkness of this cold and sterile shell
Afraid, with no one left to share the dream
In death he cries a final, silent scream
Wednesday, 5 May 2021
Under Glass
by Nick Gisburne
How strange it seems to see you, under glass
The finest and the fiercest of the Fey
A simple trick, with sweetly-scented grass
And here I have you, safely sealed away
Remarkable how delicate you are
Of all the fabled creatures I have chased
Exquisite, and defiant. Yes, bizarre
I wonder, might your murder be a waste?
My copper-coiled contraption hums and glows
A simple switch, and life will meet its end
Your eyes, so bright, but understanding shows
They recognise that death will soon descend
It does. I feel the venom of a bite
They said you had a sister. They were right
How strange it seems to see you, under glass
The finest and the fiercest of the Fey
A simple trick, with sweetly-scented grass
And here I have you, safely sealed away
Remarkable how delicate you are
Of all the fabled creatures I have chased
Exquisite, and defiant. Yes, bizarre
I wonder, might your murder be a waste?
My copper-coiled contraption hums and glows
A simple switch, and life will meet its end
Your eyes, so bright, but understanding shows
They recognise that death will soon descend
It does. I feel the venom of a bite
They said you had a sister. They were right
The Deep
by Nick Gisburne
Shatter the shadows, the darkest of dreams
Bathe in the blood of the waters within
Run to the river of sorrow and screams
Sever the spirit, abandon your skin
Feel it, the torment, the weight of the soul
Twisted malevolence, dragging you down
Primitive, poisonous, blacker than coal
Festering evil, drawn under to drown
Dive to your destiny, dive to the deep
Stripped of your senses, eternally blind
Infinite emptiness, death without sleep
Shackled forever, alone with your mind
Silence, the sentence to pay for your crime
Time without end, till the end of all time
Shatter the shadows, the darkest of dreams
Bathe in the blood of the waters within
Run to the river of sorrow and screams
Sever the spirit, abandon your skin
Feel it, the torment, the weight of the soul
Twisted malevolence, dragging you down
Primitive, poisonous, blacker than coal
Festering evil, drawn under to drown
Dive to your destiny, dive to the deep
Stripped of your senses, eternally blind
Infinite emptiness, death without sleep
Shackled forever, alone with your mind
Silence, the sentence to pay for your crime
Time without end, till the end of all time
Saturday, 1 May 2021
The Sickness
by Nick Gisburne
They see the rising menace of the plague
And fear for what mutations may emerge
But pledges made to face the fight are vague
Too late, too few, to counter such a surge
The sickness plays its final, fatal hand
It stains the sky, infecting every cloud
Relentless in its hunger to expand
It weaves a cloak of death, a swirling shroud
The sunlight, smothered, strangled, shines no more
And swarming spores of sickness fall as rain
They ravage every creature to its core
Each nerve a naked thread of blazing pain
The sickness fades and only death remains
And on this empty planet silence reigns
They see the rising menace of the plague
And fear for what mutations may emerge
But pledges made to face the fight are vague
Too late, too few, to counter such a surge
The sickness plays its final, fatal hand
It stains the sky, infecting every cloud
Relentless in its hunger to expand
It weaves a cloak of death, a swirling shroud
The sunlight, smothered, strangled, shines no more
And swarming spores of sickness fall as rain
They ravage every creature to its core
Each nerve a naked thread of blazing pain
The sickness fades and only death remains
And on this empty planet silence reigns