Used to know her

I saw the light pass out from her eyes,
Lips parted,
Filled with honeyed lies,
And the words,
The fear,
All glazed over,
Almost hard to believe,
I used to know her.

~Rei Shiori

Fallen skies

Fallen skies blue and grey,
Heavy heart too leaden to pray,
Fall to knees,
But eyes to the sky,
Strike me dead,
If our love was truly a lie.

~Rei Shiori

Left behind

The tiredness consuming,
All rational thoughts,
As I down another glass,
Of emptiness,
To drown out the noise,
That echoes incessantly,
In the corners of my mind,
Dragging me around,
Revisiting what I would,
Rather have left behind.

~Rei Shiori

Guilt-filled sea

What if we were really never meant to be,
Selfish hearts drawing closer,
Forcing our destinies,
When the reality was,
It could never be you and me,
Trapped in a consciousness that is my own,
It won't let me be,
It won't leave me alone,
Biting and gnawing,
Like a dog at a flea,
It won't give up,
Won't let go of me,
As I struggle to breathe,
Beat back the cresting waves of doubt,
That have set free,
An avalanche of thoughts,
That threaten to drown me,
In this guilt-filled sea.

~Rei Shiori

Too late

What if I told you I couldn't keep up with the pace of my doubts anymore?
What If I told you my confidence in my decision is plummeting to the floor?
Would you feel the same way after listening to what's in my head?
Drive me insane, 
Bring back the pain, 
As I'm going to bed,
It's too late to tell me what I should've said.


~Rei Shiori

Phantom

I waited my Whole life for you,
For you to enter my Embrace,
Countless nights spent without you,
Wishing you were by my side,
Though my heart Beats for your smile,
You would never know,
What it feels like,
To be on the dark side of Love.

~Selene

All of you that I keep

In the emptiness,
I feel your presence,
Quietly weeping still,
The bloodied tears,
Of guilt and shame,
Of old pain,
I reach out,
Feeling nothing,
The silence stretching,
Final threads on sanity breaking,
Snapping,
I can't hear you anymore,
And it's driving me crazy,
To not be able to hold you,
Like I once did,
Am I sinking in the past?
I want to let go,
But this time,
He holds me close,
His are the arms,
That bear me to bed,
His the kisses that cover my forehead,
The voice in the night,
That whispers me to sleep,
His, all his,
Memories,
That's all of you that I keep.

~Rei Shiori

Rage

Anger,
Pulsing, boiling,
Raging madness,
Scarlet slits that widen,
Into full blown rage,
Angry lips from which that hiss,
Spitting poison,
What induced such wrath?
If not another's devious plans?
I will tell you,
Insult what is mine,
And I shall not leave off,
Till you have made amends.

~Rei Shiori

Stained

The cold torrents of shame,
Washing down,
Emptying through turrets of memories,
Clearing out every recollection,
As I shiver at your touch,
My eyes cringe,
At what was once,
All that I searched,
You roll over in bed,
And I let loose,
Silent drops of rain,
On the sheets that are now stained.

~Rei Shiori

Strange nights

Rushing,
Running,
The nights flash by,
In a stunning,
Psychedelic burst,
Of vibrancy,
Until we lurch,
To a stop,
Outside reality's door,
And I stare at you in the face,
But I don't see the same man anymore.

~Rei Shiori

Battle

Distant drums booming,
A rhythm I can't see,
As I wait impatiently,
Astride the wings of my destiny,
Have they come?
My sword at ready,
Vengeance is always sharp but often not steady,
Perhaps today my life hangs by a maybe,
I swing and breathe,
Soon to be blod-clogged air,
And high above in golden skies,
Skim death and decay,
The horns scream out,
Brassy challenge,
And we charge onward,
The battle is upon us.

~Rei Shiori

It was the only thing

I hated what I wrote,
But I kept writing because,
It was the only thing that could save me,
And so it did,
In an alternate dimension,
Everything would be gone,
No need for tears,
And the constant nagging worry,
In the flow of words,
And choppy emotions,
The bone dry nights with no inspiration,
I'd close my eyes and tell myself,
I can write my way out of here,
I can let it drown out my fear,
And they would listen,
They would see,
Because the heart and soul in prose,
Is me.

~Rei Shiori

Sunset

Walking into shimmering sunsets,
Liquid gold warmth poured out,
Dyed in distinct streaks of pink and lilac,
As the evening fades,
And the birds cry out to mates,
That on lightened wings,
And joyful hearts,
Homeward fly.

~Rei Shiori

Passion

Her eyes glimmered dim,
As her fingers traced,
A map of passion on my skin,
What would she think,
If she knew what burned within?
My sanity drowning in the din,
Of primal instinct screaming,
Even as her dance of seduction begins,
My chest throbs with the pain the pleasure brings,
To let loose is to sin,
Yet I yield to the sweet siren singing,
Of her body's lure,
As she bends over me,
Her long hair a black curtain swinging,
Evaporating thoughts of what was pure.

~Rei Shiori

Beware

Beware the one,
That speaks pretty words,
For he will tell you gilded lies,
Tangle you in scarlet ribbons,
Of his growing sins,
Woven with a spider's lies,
Sweet honeyed phrases,
Hiding all that is poison-laced,
Till you forget,
All but his face,
And sink lower still,
Into the mire,
That is his cold embrace.

~Rei Shiori

Walking home

I want,
The feel of your hands,
Warm on mine,
As our fingers clench,
Like we never want to let go,
Watching the coral lights,
Fading into glorious sunset,
Of purples and pinks,
That fade to the soft blushing indigo,
Giddy with the sweet release,
Of your lips on mine,
As we laugh,
Together,
Walking home.

~Rei Shiori

Impaled

Aching cold,
Seeping through,
Water over my bones,
Staining memories of you,
Lying, dying,
Cold and dead,
Why were you crying?
When you were the reason,
My heart was impaled,
By this icy stake.

~Rei Shiori

Exchange

Garnet beads,
Dripping from this expanse,
Of snow white skin,
The silver coldly gleams,
Even as the blade sings,
And I clutch this strand,
A little tighter,
Ancient gem of loyalty,
Draw colour back to me,
Make life return,
Rewind the time,
Despite death,
My passion still burns,
As does my hatred,
For this feeble destiny,
That is mine,
Come, reverse my fate,
Exchange my body and blood,
For one such as yours,
That cannot fade,
Give me the chance,
To walk again,
Beneath sleet, snow and rain,
But never the sun again.

~Rei Shiori

Eye of the storm

Standing in the eye of the storm,
Why call it cold fury?
I have never felt,
Anything so warm,
As the lightning flashes,
In accompaniment to the,
Strength of heaven's heartbeat,
I dance a step closer,
To the slippery edge I skip,
This tremor I feel,
Resonating through to my feet,
Let me lose it,
As I plummet from the sky,
Arms raised as wings,
I embrace the storm,
Watch me as I fly.

~Rei Shiori

Choice...

I would've shattered mountains to reach you.

The unspoken vow glimmered in the faint light that reflected off his eyes. I watched the darkening horizon, eyes as stormy as the skies in the distance. the air smelt different.
Sharper.
The smell of smoke and the faint flowery muskiness that clung to his clothes enveloped me and I sighed despite myself. His arms were warm. Far warmer than the too-large sweater I had hastily pulled on to venture out and watch the sunset.
How could I have doubted how much he cared? I had been convinced time and time again, the little gestures, the quiet touches and goodbye kisses that did not overwhelm me as past lovers once did. But still...the doubt had not yet faded.
Who do you choose? The one who loves you or the one you love? Blessed the ones for whom both were one and the same.
I shivered beneath his touch as he steered me away from the edge of the precipice. The choice remained unspoken beneath the clouds that threatened to douse the light of the stars.

~Rei Shiori

Vermillion

Vermillion swirls,
Of patterned ink,
That adorn this,
Roughened skin,
Sinking beneath,
To meet what is within,
Flesh, bone, soul?
Fading to brown,
Still the peacock,
Raises his proud head,
Plumage spread,
Across a forearm,
Laid to rest,
Upon the steady heartbeat,
Emanating warmth from your chest.

~Rei Shiori

Vortex

Spiraling into this spinning vortex,
Drawing me into the abyss,
Darkness that I once embraced,
Now I'm not so sure,
That I've been stepping the right way,
He takes my hand,
Even as you call to me,
And I close my eyes,
Trying to make sense,
Of the choice given,
A blessing or curse?
I have yet to see.

~Rei Shiori

Always rains

You don't stand a chance,
When I won't even let you in,
On the other side of the glass walls,
They will not shatter,
I want to let you touch me,
It aches so bad yet,
I cannot let you win,
Pleading eyes,
I know, I see,
But this cut runs deeper,
Than the length of the soul in me,
Why did you fall,
For the one they call damaged,
The one they threw aside,
When they couldn't manage,
Why'd you love the one who can't,
The girl who was so much in pain,
That she can never let go of the past,
And in whose mind it always always rains.

~Rei Shiori

My name

In this stifling heat,
I turn to watch you sleeping,
The soft helpless breath,
Of a fan twitching,
The fine silk of your hair,
As you murmur,
Some forgotten half-dream,
Or perhaps a secret,
I know not,
From where,
It came,
Until it strikes me again,
Those whispered words,
My name.

~Rei Shiori

Yet to fade

One day you'll be a memory,
Fleeting spot in my history,
And I'll smile as I pass you by,
You'll remember me as the one who cried,
And I'll remember you,
As the one who turned away,
When there were still words unspoken,
And love had yet to fade.

~Rei Shiori

Natural

In the safety of acceptance,
I learn to appreciate,
The warmth of your love,
The silence of contentment,
As happiness,
Wafts through the air,
I lay back,
In the circle of your arms,
And I listen to your heartbeat,
Against the heat of your chest,
The smile that comes,
Is as natural as the rain.

~Rei Shiori

As your history

By the way my hands were shaking,
As I typed my heart was breaking,
You were tearing me apart,
You knew I loved you,
Yet you chose to leave your part,
And in the face of misery,
You chose to deceive,
Leaving behind,
Me,
As your history.

~Rei Shiori

Fake smile

There she is,

The insincerity lining,

The corners of her lips,

Touching,

Plucking,

And there,

A smile,

Fading as she walks past,

Into another mask,

Of stone,

And cold emptiness,

Of brick,

And walled up ice,

And hard concrete mortar.

~Rei Shiori

Blind

She is still drowning,

In a world of black and white,

Shadowy blur shifting,

In stormy memories,

Of nights,

Where she heard voices raised,

Telling her she would always be,

That way,

Blind,

The colours are profoundly,

Intimate in nature,

But still,

Closer when she imagined in her mind,

She can’t reach for them,

Just beyond the bend,

Out of the grasp of her hands,

And out of the sight,

Of those beautifully glassy eyes,

She cannot understand,

That the watercolour world of her dreams,

Can never be where she is,

Because the darkness never ends.

~Rei Shiori

More lies?

She hushes him,
Finger to his lips,
Wondering,
Eyes searching,
Deeper,
As they kiss,
Beyond the surface,
Just beneath the ice,
Carefully across the floor now,
Just beneath,
What is simmering,
More lies?

~Rei Shiori

Past

Running back and forth,
Across the crowded floor,
Strewn with memories,
That were once,
And are now no more,
The faded, yellow photographs,
That showed smiling faces,
And happy dreams,
Crushed, crumpled by the door,
Things in the past are no longer what they seem.

~Rei Shiori

Listening

Lying in the covers,
Listening to voices speak,
In a language I barely understand,
Still the words creep,
Crawling softly into a mind,
That's still half-asleep,
And wondering when the dream will end,
Turning French windows,
Into Chinese arcs,
The length of my arms' span.

~Rei Shiori

For the ones who were broken

For the ones who were broken,
Beyond the nightmares,
They dreamed of an endless abyss,
Of loneliness,
And an infinite sorrow,
That drowned their scorched days,
And misty nights in a loveless haze,
Trapped,
They hang low in shame,
Never daring to rise again,
Only breathing shallowly,
The air that filled their lungs with pain.

~Rei Shiori

Extraordinary ordinary life

He rolls over,
With that sweet sleepy voice,
Asks if I'm alright,
Can't help but smile,
At the kisses he plants on my face,
In the darkness,
Of a warm summery night,
One arm casually thrown over me,
As his eyes shine in the dim light,
I whisper to say good night,
But my voice catches,
As I remember what it was like,
Before,
Before I met you,
Before you said what you said was the truth,
Before I let go,
Before I didn't know,
What was waiting for me on the other side,
Of my extraordinary ordinary life.

~Rei Shiori

Tattoos

The myriad markings run,
In colourful symphony,
Down lightly muscled arms,
And legs that once wrapped,
Around his in ecstasy,
As the ticking clock removes the years,
From timeless memories,
In her mind unfolding,
She stretches across the bed,
Kicking aside the dusty fears,
And reaches for the phone that never rings,
Licking scarlet lips,
That were once his to own,
Her voice that for those long nights,
Singing in the empty bar,
To no one but her own soul,
And the lonely passerby whose heart she plucks,
For a moment,
She reaches out with that husky voice,
That temporarily chased away the cold,
But never melts the ice in her own soul,
He will never pick up the call,
She is left again,
Counting the tattoos across her collarbones.

~Rei Shiori