Twilight of Splendor

Twilight of Splendor Written by John Paul Amaral Illustrated by Kelsey Ward Do not bathe yourself in flickering, Kissing tongues taunt to their Tallow pedestals fit for princes. Hidden amongst their contempt mocking Are the ensnared, enraptured By comforting curiosities. Lending an ear to their frantic, Boisterous chatter exposes such Careless hearts interwoven in time. Each one acts as a mistake, Disrupting cyclical throws in tides Set long before their birth. Self-consumed, they eat at their souls Until what little remains of their existence Concludes in wailing hisses. Divulging in their pitiful cries at brief moments Comforts the chandeliers supporting Grieving symphonies to the begotten bastards. May the blessings in the Twilight of Splendor Invite you while in your departure from their Seasonally ecstatic misgivings. Freedom sustains the softer, Kinder persistence under the dulcet Reflections within a star’s shadow.

Midwinter Mischief Magazine Peer into this eventide’s pallor and pace yourself While wandering through woods both birch and poplar, Their limbs are brushstrokes against the rising sky. Mirror glades span aglow from slopes to valleys Where sanguine streams pool freshwater pearls Along deposits strung at its every turn. Write your existence of letter and print Due in footfalls marking a new stone-laid path And crested puffs from each breath. Take pause and give thanks to illuminating bliss Abandoned by those who forgone consideration While you venture into Winter’s parlor. Reflect on what given light proceeds you, feeds you For the ever revolving Astrodome Speculates and draws the Aurora curtains. Parted and swinging, the soaring Gods, Donna Selene, and the 400 Brothers Share their Festival of Lights. The rippling dancers exchange partners along rivers Harping icicles pluck each glittering cord And tapping twigs crackle and sway in time. Rafters streaked by outstretched arms, Both those dressed or exposed, Uphold shifting, monochromatic silver-laced mosaics. Flurries tosses sparks into the air And coats the highlighted trails Others shared and crossed. Spend time amongst anticipation Before it shatters by the dissolution Of ungrateful footsteps marred by candlelight.