Darkness Failed

Darkness comes at night and day now,

Thief of Joy, crept during daylight’s vow.

Helpless sorrows in thoughts of my mind,

Can I toe the line, glow through fire in kind.

Pain as Armor, scars as a shield, unshaken,

Late night tears, dark hues of blue, awaken.

Years blind gone by, without a sound,

Music turns blood into dust in the ground.

Pick up the jagged pieces where I fell apart,

Life grants not always linear, just be smart.

Where would you be without life so numb,

Not time to throw the towel, for a crumb.

Darkness failed to break me, at my lowest,

Light still off, beginning I not yet knowest.

Just hold this pain wrapped in final form,

Don’t you start to listen when it is the norm.

Succumbing to Darkness, Not an Option,

Guard heart from Pain, Need the Caution.

Fuck this sorry feeling, fuck this loud drain,

You will rise through ash, with scars of pain.

Maybe a Phoenix, scorched but still rising,

Worth not broken, no need disguising.

This cycle shall pass, a brief dove in flight,

Promise flickers, then fades into night.

Perhaps black tortoise won’t hide his shell,

Dragging through silence, its own hell.

Healing pain is rarely linear, leaving pain,

Without wounds, deepening clarity slain.

© Dereck Pritchard, 2025. All Rights Reserved. Okay to share in full with clear credit to the author. Partial excerpts require written permission.