Reverie The poetry collection By Telle

1.      Dead Divine

2.      Open Wounds

3.      Aikonoklastes

4.      War of Hearts

5.      Game Lost

6.      The Only Thing That Could Make Me Turn away from God if He became you

7.      Darkness Solitude

8.      Plagues

9.      The Wings upon Hermes’s Feet

1.      Dead divine

Oh, the world has been against you

Now, you do not have anywhere to run to

They conspire

The plans transpire

An exile you become

Helpless, hopeless

You are crying for friends who wore a poker face

Is this the life you wanted to live?

This is no place to start a brand new life

Where will you go

The demons cast you out

Five counts of cold mortal transgressions

Impeded your mortal shout

Mortal shell crying

Spiritual windows sealed to conceal the feeling

Oh, would you leave it all behind

For a better life?

So burn the bridge to stop us

Stop us from comforting you

Trespass the law of plurality

With yourself what will you do?

Maybe beyond the line is a place to start a brand new life

Away from the days of the old when friends are there to soften the fall

Where would you go

Will you carry fragments of camaraderie?

Where would you go

What would you do with a piece of a broken mirror that once breathed life?

2.      Open Wounds

Mourning upon a lose

Time stood still, mocking

We are beaten incessantly

Bleeding

The night blew the light away

From the candle of humanity

Selfishness is the new black

We are fed by this misery

Wolves circling our territory

Planning for an attack unrelenting

Our shadows taken away

Beaten black and blue

Helpless to a system so sordid yet prevailing

They stood as a proof of our existence

Soaring is nearly impossible

When they have taken our wings away

Die another day

Gut my dreams

Slit the throat of our aspirations

We are dead

We are dying

3.      Aikonoklastes

You said that everything’s okay

You refused to wear a frown

We all thought you’re strong enough

But you cry up nights

You fear the creature of sharp rejection

But cater your own demon

The greatest fear ensnared

Being hurt, being left alone

Leave the hurt at home

Face the world with a smile

Fool us all

Attempt to hide the pain for awhile

All the selflessness will turn its back on you

Can’t reconcile with you heart

A coffin for the only thing that’s true

What is painful?

Holding the fire that feeds you

The same fire that burns your hands

The fire that bore you

What is deception?

Holding the sharpness in your eyes

Even though neath the mask

My scathing friend lies

I know you’re not strong enough

The rage gave you away

I’d feel better if you cry all the pain out

And curse me from interfering

Than to see you taunt the day

Drawing hope to be understood

Well, you are

But not by the chains that bound your blood

We all sought a home

Not haunting, reassuring

We all looked for an ear or two to put up with our raging

We all look at you with admiration

But deep inside you you held back the tears

Disillusioned by false fear

4.      War of Hearts

Where do we go from here when the battle is done

The war we wage has taken everything

My life, my family, my heart

Broken by this war we’ve seized

The sky suffused with tears

From those who gave their lives to save me

Darkening, threatening

This soldier of tranquility

For I could live to die for what I believe in

This sword can never break my heart

I know what I am searching

Swords… bullets… smoke and bloodshed

We sacrificed too much to see it all cave in

Weak… dying… but we’ve so much to protect

Our hearts, still beating for a greater vision

There is comfort in keeping all the honor

To die for a greater cause

To be with the ones I loved

There is victory in silencing the shadows

It will never eclipse my heart

From my life I won’t depart

War!!!

The shadows are transforming into my darkest fears

I live to die for the things in my hands

I live to die for love

I live to die to win this war

5.      Game Lost

I’m losing you…

I need to be redirected; this love has poisoned me

I’m losing grip of all the things I used to love and saved me

This longing has gone far too long

The weight of the burden is a deal strong

And lest I lose my heart, I compromised you and everything I believe in

Everything I stood for

Everything that makes me alive

I’m losing you…

Would you be everything I need?

‘cause right now I think I’m losing the flame

You promise you will walk with me

I’m straying from the path, I’m losing my way

Well, the light in your eyes is victory

The love I know means so much to me

I’m letting go of what I have for what I thought is something more

But I’ve been fooled

The void of dejection I fell into is deep and without end

How can I turn away? I need you right now

Come shine through me

I’m lost

I’m losing this game called life

Your love

The one that sets me free I compromised

I need to be redirected

I need to feel loved again

I need to know if you’re still with me ‘cause you’re my everything and I’m losing grip

I’m losing you

I remembered the days when I confessed

I needed you more than this

The sorrow of becoming what I hated

Replaced this immortal bliss

So unleash the life you want me to live

Live for all the things I held in my hand

I am losing grip, I am losing you

6.      The Only Thing That Could Make Me Turn away from God  Is If He Becomes You

This hate’s the only thing that stands between us

This hate’s the only thing that stands between us

You built these walls of ignorance

From the debris of my faith

And called the kingdom you brought forth

The only thing that saves

You’re a deity to your own stupidity

The lack of will to stand alone is your misery

I won’t fall into this

With you will end the shame

Slit my wrist and with my blood

Immortalize you vow

To demean the last of me

In your malice I drown

I will avenge myself

Every pain you caused me

I weep not upon your name

I have loved once, not all’s left’s pain

The only thing that could save you

From the ghost of your failure

Is begging for forgiveness

Begging for your walls to reassure

Those tears could not makes amends

Alive was the hands of pain

Those tears could not make amends

Alive… alive is the rage

7.      Darkness solitude

This world has been against me

Tried to bring me down

But I will never falter

I’m standing my ground

They hide in the dark

With intentions of inflicting pain

But the darkness won’t last long

For I’m bringing the flame

Our knees will all hit the floor

But see who’s standing up

I’m bleeding no more

This life will be the life of me

See who’s broken

I will lead this war

I am not bleeding for this

Yes, I’m not bleeding for this

Weave these words

To destroy my face

This plot won’t thicken

You’ve had a taste

(of victory)

But the tower you built for yourself

Is the only territory you could hide in

My eyes are watching the skies

While my feet touch the ground

Hide in the dark; ever felt alone?

I’m showing my scar

I’m breathing this pain

‘cause I know I’ll never bleed again

The blood I’ve shed

Cleansed my heart

I know I will never bleed again

I’m not bleeding for this

This world has been against me

Tried to bring me down

But I will never falter

I’m standing my ground

8.      Plagues

We had this silence to cover our lapse

I thought this chain shall be severed

But it remained steadfast

I almost broke this bind and set you drifting away

But I’ll make it up to you someday

We are counting dead bodies

Of those who failed to keep

My heart has set me into a starless voyage

To change what we have built

Your eyes make it hard to keep a promise

But you still gave me a reason

To wait for you till dawn

I have been plagued

Heartache, impending, kept me at bay

Now the tailgate has been dropped

I have proven your eyes are here to stay

I found security under my breaking heart

I found my life cleansed by the bleeding you started

I found you when I lost it all

I built my world with you when it started to fall

9.      The Wings upon Hermes’s Feet

The sky turns black

All the shadows obscure the path

Where are we going?

Where are we heading to?

This route the only reason I breathe

Has suddenly recoiled in silence

And now I’m stuck standing nowhere

I only need a heart to prove myself worthy

Dissevered, desolate, disconsolate, dismayed

Our lives a constant impending doom

Swinging to the beat, to the beat

Of the pendulum

Where do we go from here?

Are we aimless enough not to be granted release?

Have we forbidden ourselves

To go beyond the line to sights unseen

Stationary we’ll be forever

Unless the feet stomp to the beat of our hearts

When distance stretched itself

We’ll find ourselves caught between the choices we’ve made

I need a heart to tell me where I’m going

And now, for the last encore

I need to sew these patches up to see what I’ve been missing

And now, for the life of me, I need the strength to open my eyes and carry on going

Hu U POeh? (para sa mga taong may identity crisis) Ni Telle

Ang buhay, gaya ng mga kwentong nababasa mo sa mga mumurahin at mamumurang mga lathalain tulad ng Precious Heart Romance at marami pang librong tungkol sa four-letter word na yon—with is love, not fuck—ay puno ng mga karakter na nagbibigay kulay dito.

            Puwede nating sabihing ‘ayan si Pedro’, ang lalakeng mukhang clumsy pero halimaw mag-isip at wagas--  take note! ia-italicize ko pa yan—WAGAS—magmahal (yuck!). pwede rin naming si Petra na hindi daw naniniwala sa word na love pero ramdam na ramdam ito. Nariyan din ang bestfriend ng bayan na si Aling Sion na naiintindihan daw ang lahat. O si Mang Juan na lagging ginagamit ang nanay niya bilang excuse para hindi tumupad da pangako. Buntong hininga…

            At marami pang klase ng tao.

            Pero, i-try nating i-generalize silang lahat. Gagamit ako ng labels para naman maka-relate ka, o better yet, magamit mo ito to describe yourself or the others.

            Here it goes:

Linguists: sila ang mga taong walang sense kausap; walang ssubstance kung magsalita. Sila yung tipo ng taong kapag nakausap mo ay may tendency na mag-hang ang iyong utak dahil sa lalim ng kaniyang kababawan. Kundi ba naman sandamakmak na SImsimi!!!

            Researchers: sila ang mga fillers ng magulo mong mundo. Fillers. Palaman lang. nariyan lang sila. Existing. Occupying space and time. Pinapanood lamang ang mundo. Buit na lamang at naka-reserve ang isang part ng classroom niyo for them… well, either way, hindi mo naman sila mapapansing buhay sila.

            Alchemists: those who turn the most worthless of metal into gold, in other words, nagiging gold ka lang sa kanila kapag kailangan ka. Oportunista? Shocks! Obsolete na ang word nay an. Repeat after me: “ALCHEMIST KA! Alchemist”

            Lecturers: WAAAARRR… AYAN NA ANG TAONG GRAVEH ANG VOCAL FIRE POWERRR…!!! KAILANGAN KONG I-CAPS LOCK LAHAT ITO TO MAKE MYSELF CLEAR! Ang paborito nilang linya ay: “MGA PUNYETA!!! TUMAHIMIK NGA KAYO. PARA KAYONG NASA PALENGKE NIYAN!!!” At doon mo mapapagtantong umuugong nap ala ang tenga mo.

            Theologians: ang ating holier-than-thou na classmate o acquaintance. Banal. Child of God. Prays everyday at ang astig na linya ay “wala kang kwentang tao. Gayahin mo ‘ko.” And all hell… ah, I mean, heaven breaks loose.

            Quitters: sila ang mga tipo ng taong lagging evacuation ang alalm, lagging eject button ang hawak at laging sa exit sign nakapako ang tingin. May dalawa pang klase nito: ang duwag na quitter at ang astig na quitter. Yung una ay talagang duwag lang kaya umaayaw; ang pangalawa ay mga taong hindi magpapakontrol sa bobong mundo kaya nag-ku-quit.

            Google.com: Oh, my gush! ‘Eto na ang mga nagmamarunong. Alam ko ‘to. Alam ko yan… alam ko blah blah blah ang lagging linya. Kung meron lang yatang hindi alam ang taong ito, ‘yun na siguro ang kaalamang walang alam ang pobreng bobong ito.

            Starfish: maganda, kaakit-akit, balingkinitan at… walang utak. Tama! Ang tanging saving grace lang ng ganitong tao ay ang mukha nila.

            Chemists: science ba kayo? Bakit? Kasi may chemistry kayo, eh. AYIIIEEEEEEEEE… Ito ang mga hopeless romantic na magaganda ang love life at nagbabalak magsimula ng magandang love life. Puwede ring yung mga nail-link na tao. Basta this talks about that one four-letter word: LOVE. Again, hindi fuck pero may eventuality na… uh… change topic!

            At siyempre, yung paborito ko:

            Physicists: nagsimula ito s eksplenasyon ng Law of Thermal expansion: ang lahat ng naiinitan ay lumalaki. Uy! Berde ang nasa isip niya! Kund oo, congrats. Physicist ka na! pero iba po sila sa mga manyak or just plain green na tao. Ang mga taong ito ay nag-jo-joke lang ng mga highly sophisticated toilet humor na sophisticated rin lang ang makaka-gets. And one more thing: utak lang nila ang hindi virgin.

            Ikaw, ano ka rito?

Ang Sugal ng Buhay Ni Telle

Katorse, diyes, kinse, bente kwatro, singko, diyes I siyete…

            Alin kaya sa mga kombinasyon mo ang tatama? Mahigit kalahating bilyong pisong biyaya rin yan na nakatiwangwang. Naghahandang mapanalunan. Sa mga araw na dumaraan, lumalaki ang premyong alaga sa dilig at dasal. Lotto. Legal na uri ng sugal. Kinalolokohan.

            Araw-araw, dumarami ang mga taong sinusubukan ang swerte nila upang ma-jackpot-an ang nakakahilong pabuya na nahinog na yata sa pilit. Kalahating bilyon! Hindi na masama. Marahil, sa ganitong kalaking kwarta, makakabili ka na ng tatlong mansion(baka nga sa exclusive village pa ito nakatirik), limang luxury cars(yung nauusong voice activated pa), anim na negosyo(mas legal mas maganda, siyempre), at marami pang iba.

            Panigurado, maglalahong parang bula ang mga utang mo. Araw-araw, may mga ngiti kang pagpipilian upang isuot sa harap ng madlang tao. Kung dati-rati, tig-iisang daang pisong pamorma lang ang suot mo, ngayon ay pihadong signature brand nay an. Gucci. Versache. Prada…

            Nag-level up ka na talaga.

            Magiging mistulang pambura din ang pera na mag-aalis sa lahat ng mga lngkot at simangot mo.

            Kalahating bilyong piso.

            Ang sarap mangarap! Matulog sa ibabaw ng malulutong na lilibuhin. Nakangiti sa iyo si Ninoy na parang nang-aasar pa. “Hon, laban ni Pacquiao next-next year. Ano? Rerentahan ba natin ang T.I.C.C.?” “Hon naman, nasa bakuran lang yung private jet natin. Gusto mo pumunta na tayo ngayon.” Hindi na masama.

            Pero bago mangyari yon, tumaya ka muna. Numero ng kaarawan mo, ng kapatid mo, ng syota mo at ng pangarap mong lalaki o babae. Presto! Winning combination. Ang inalagaang kombinasyon ay gasgas na sa ilalim ng madiin na panulat at pasmadong kamay.

            Ngayon, ipagpalagay nating nanalo ka na. muli, kalahating bilyon. Tumataginting. Nakakapanlaway. Pwede ma nang lustayin ito ayon sa ibig mo (sundin mo ang mga nakasulat sa itaas kung paano).

            Ngunit sa pagdami ng salapi mo, sa pagtaba ng iyong bulsa, dadami din ang lamok sa paligid mo at makikiusap ng kaunting dugo mula sa iyo. Biglang sikat ka! Biglang dami ng kaibigan. Kung dati-rati, mamomoroblema ka sa salapi at kahit anong bagay na may kinalaman sa mga usapang de-kulay, ngayon ay mamomoroblema ka na naman. Ang dami kami nito para ubusin sa loob ng isang araw. Nariyan pa ang takot nab aka may magkainteres. Magnanakaw. Manloloko. Manggagantiyo. Baka halos lahat ng nagsisismula sa pantig na mang, lilibot sa iyo na parang isang hindi mabusug-busog na parasite.at ang mga kaibigan… ang mga amigo’t amiga na ready na para makipagbeso-beso sa mamantika mong pisngi… kung dati hindi mo sila mahagilap, ngayon kahit hindi mo sitsitan ay lalapit sila.

            Lotto. Mula bente pesos naging kalahating bilyon na. tumubo ang gamustasa mong binhi bilang isang malaking puno. Nakakatuwa!

            Pero  ang mga bagay na basta-basta mo lang nakuha ay basta-basta rin lang nawawala. Hindi karapat-dapat sa konsepto ng lotto ang salitang sayang. Ang isang daang losyang ngunit pinaghirapan nga magdadalawang isip kapang gastusin.

            Si Juan kasi ay mahilig sa instant. Instant coffee. Instant noodles. Instant water. Instant yaman.

            At kapag naglaon ay instant bagsak din ang kahahantungan.

            Ngayon ay bumalik tayo sa realidad. Nasa kamay mo ang bente pesos, anim na numero na wala akong ideya kung saan mo napulot at kaunting pagkamaka-Diyos. Nangangarap kang makamit ang lahat ng ipinai-imagine sa iyo kanina: ang bahay(tatlong mansyon), ang kotse)mga de-remote na oto), ang malaking bank account(mas enggrande kung sa Swiss bank mo yan ilalagak) at ang mga—pekeng—kaibigan.

            Pupusta ka ba o ibubulsa na lamang ang lukot na bente pesos na hawak

Angels of Black Heaven

CHAPTER SIX

Book one: ethereal icarus

            There was the fallen world before her; everything crumbles to its knees. The one- glorious crowns of mankind now a deserted sea of ruins. No life. Just her. She continued walking in the desolated street where cars stood as an imbecile amidst. The silence that was born after a premature Armageddon transpired. She was the only one alive-well, at least she and a rotten soul within her, once a force to be reckoned with-was the only survivor.

            Her eyes conveyed sullenness, ominously desolated and seemed close to being tearful. It might be sharp but it was scathing. Her young body stood erect, disguising the mere fact that her rundown dress carried her and not the other way around. Even though melancholy-stricken, the round face held its elements firmly; the nose, the cheeks that held prickles, the mouth that was tightly shut asserted the cloud that hang above her sunken heart. The shoulder-length blond hair went along perfectly with the colour, that certain sallowness and the dire sadness that she possessed. She cried for death but knew the angel would not come, well, at least at that very moment. She was a sole survivor in a distant time. Living alone. Searching alone. But, even though ever the isolated she was, she would not meet death.

            The fiery clouds swirled above her. Silence was still there. Stranded was she in a distant rime, in a distant future.

            Her name was. well, was it still necessary?

            And the other entity inside her, gagged and blindfolded, was as modeus.

Angels Of Black Heaven

CHAPTER FIVE

book one: Ethereal Icarus

            Althea Stainthorpe was a lady who was directed by her head and not by her heart. She would not let her emotions get in her way. A conduction- driven female.  Almost all of her actions were consulted to the philosophy she held the dear, and she was not ever let down by it.Nothing in this world would go wrong if everyone trust their heads, she once mused. If any human attributes would be attached to her, perhaps it was the word philosophic. Inborn to her was an unwavering point of view; she was a great thinker, like Matthew, even if she would not admit it aloud. She approved every human philosophy that seemed poetic, good and justifiable and denounced otherwise. Anything that feels short of nod worthy was rebuked. She was aware that the realities that confined the material world was only a fraction of the truth that she knew and believe God, though it couldn't be considered faith- the leaning the unseen. She could hear God's voice directly.

            The mental aspect of her being proved to be one of her greatest weapon. But, unbeknownst to her, the heart she thought she seldomly lend an ear to saved one soul. And as if to prove history repeats itself, she's do it again.

            All she knew was the wheel of fate was starting to gather speed. She must catch up or else, it would outrun her, eventually outrunning everything else she was living for.

            Silence was the only thing with her as she looked at the floor of the virtually cavernous room.

            Althea snared some common traits with Matthew Craighan, she possessed a curly hair as dark as the first few minutes of dawn. Her oval face that was perfectly framed by that hair was a sea of whiteness, tender whiteness that held a sharp but vulnerable pair of eyes that seemed to burrow into an object on which it lay. The eyes were calm, black and expressive; it turned into a shape of trapezoid when in shock but returned to its sharp nature when at ease. The arching eyebrows that gradually faded on its way to the two of her eyes matched cleverly with it. The nose was sculptured by an artist more aware of the detail than with how it would go harmoniously with the beautiful oval canvass that was her face. Though, most people might have complimented its seeming perfection, her teeth were crooked, an ostensible blemish some people find attractive. She stood circa five-five; though, not so tall enough, her built made her height attractive. Althea might have shared some common characteristics with Matt, but there was no way any consanguine attributed could link them, only emotion.

            Yes, she knew who Matthew Craghan was; they were friends, guardians to each other. She knew that they were both eighteen and nineteen years old but within that lifetime, they had not met yet. They were friends even before they were born or given an earthly vessel. She was a supernatural incarnate. But, there was another thing she knew, she would not be surprised if the man would not recognize her. She knew the reason why. it was she.

Angels of Black Heaven

Chapter Five

book one: ethereal icarus 

It was one of those placid nights that the young man in black enigma got used to. He was standing atop a building, looking at the moon. An aura of sulkiness dressed his eyes; his eyes were lonely but sharp. He was an angel. Right. An angel. A messenger known to man as death. He had been existing for quite a long while now, since Adam and Eve were tempted to devour the so-called fruits of life. It was when he was conceived. But, he blamed no one. He was just a silent witness to the sufferings of other.

            Peace was in the air only for the mortals, but he was hearing the howl of wind as a death agony. He pushed himself and let the force man calls gravity pull him downward. He seemed weightless. His descend was like a dead maple leaf leaving its branch, only though he fell in a straight line. Then, darkness covered him. First, the arms, then the body, the face until it devoured last his gem of an eye.

            No noise accompanied a young lady after she's shed tears. The hospital room where she was was covered with silence. There was no sound, only her breathing he could hear. She accepted her fate. She's dying. She would become part of the past.

            The ashen lips of hers once virtually crimson, started to mumble something. A song was being woven. The eyes that used to glisten as though it were a diamond struck by light grew somber. Breathing was she but not alive.

            A year ago, on an autumn afternoon, she received the most devastating news of all. The slow process of dying started then. It was leukaemia, the havoc that wreaked her. A slow quietus. All she could do was to wait for any death deity to end her afflictions.

            The silence cladding the confinement was broken by a series of footsteps coming from the corridor. The door of her room stood ajar, permitting the noise to enter into where she was. The corridor was covered with partial darkness; the only source of light was coming from a flickering fluorescent bulb.

            "Who's there?" she asked. Her voice was cold; the sickness inside made it a deal colder.

            "You can hear me?!" a man spoke. The coldness of his voice, though inquisitive, equated that of a dying lady.

            A smile writhed upon her once lovely face. "Why not? Except if you're a ghost or a death angel."

            Weird. He was perplexed by the way the woman smiled. Despite her condition, she still managed to wear a smile on her face.

            "Are you here to take me?" she joked.

            "Strange", he remarked.

            Curiosity was painted upon her face."Why?"

            "Because no one has seen me yet and." something he was curious about the most,".and yet you still manage to smile despite everything?"

            The smile returned, "Because I've accepted it already. I'm dying. Perhaps, I've already died. What difference does it make?"

            "Alone"

            The smile grew bitter; it seemed that she's just trying to hide  she really felt but failing to do it. "Yes, alone but wait! Who are you anyway?"

            "Do you really wanna know who I am?"

            "If permitted"

            "It might surprise you." He warned

            "If you're death or some kind of spectre evil or otherwise, it doesn't matter anymore. Besides, all truth will be put in futile after death befalls."

            He'd fulfil the lady's wish, he decided. Besides, she already knew he was there; not supposed to feel his existence there. No one should know he was coming.

            The flickering of the light already died away, depriving the sober confinement of illumination. Silence reigned for a while. After a few moments, the light returned.

            The man with his sullen but sharp eyes stood by the hospital bed. His eyes were on the girl's.

            They traded glances

            Amazement was written all over his face.

            The man! He had a pair of beautiful ember wings, much like the colour of a still night, a pair of pulchritudinous wings that symbolized who he was: the end.

            "What are you?"

            "The only thing that you mortals do not understand and scared of: I am death".

            Silence. The young lady smiled.

            Again, the winged young man was startled.

            "So, it only means that my time had come. I've waited for you for so long".

            "I've been living a long while now but only now that someone smiled at me, someone who has just seen death."

            "Does it matter?"

            Little he could do to understand his own feelings. It seemed to him that to himself he became a stranger.

            "Before you take me to where I am destined to end up, would you be so kind to answer my question?"

            Because admiration was set aglow in his eyes, he's decided to entertain the young woman's inquiry. "What is it?"

            "Do you have death?"

            The asking startled him.

            "Ah!" it seemed that realization had washed over her. "I know it may sound foolish, however-"

            "Yes", he cut her midsentence. "When the time comes that God would collect all the iniquitous souls and throw them to hell, I'd be there, too, burning."

            Loneliness filled her eyes. "Isn't it brutal? To live with a terrible certainty? But, you can always assert yourself, save yourself."

            "To go up the against the most high? Inconceivable? I am a born of a cure, destined to die."

            "But, it's the only lapse that you perpetrated. To be born after the first mortals transgressed the first law of God".

            Again, he was startled. No one had ever thought of him that way. "It's predestined. I'll die."

            "Is there still something we can do?" she felt sympathy for the young man and virtually forget her own anguish.

            "Have you ever realized how lucky you mortals are?"

            "Huh?"

            "You lead a relatively short life. However, despite that, you felt a million emotions and experienced a great many ordeals. To be happy, to be sad, to feel angry. To be human. But me, I count my days just doing what I ought to do. Yes, it's true that you knew you will one day die, but you still managed to smile".

            "It's a part of us that we could no longer explain."

            He sighed heavily. "I can't believe you diverted your pity from yourself towards me," he said, virtually amused.

            "I don't know maybe because I still have a choice; You , you don't have any." She held her head low and focused her eyes upon her hands." We were given enough freedom to choose whom to ally, to choose how we'll live our lives. Because our lives are short, we make plans on how to live it. Today I'll have a walk in the park, tomorrow, gotta see my friends, the next day perhaps, I'm gonna be somewhere else-"

            "And that makes mine repeatitive."

            She grew wary, feeling that her words offended the man even though it was not evident in his voice. She looked at him in the eyes." No I'm sorry. I mean-"

            "In my lifetime," he interrupted. His eyes were locked upon the girl's. "I've seen a great many tragedies that I know to myself I am responsible of. You know life, but, death to you is something obscure. People thinks it's an ultimate release from your life, a tragic coup de Grăce of truth. However, there is one thing you overlooked."

             The girl looked at him quizzically. There was something in the man that she found fascinating, entrancing to say the least she wasn't aware of it yet, but she unconsciously renounced her listless self that she considered herself being one a few minutes ago, just by looking at the man's lovely eyes.

            "You mortals do not think that you are worthy to accept it. Death is a gift. You considered it surrender. It's a pylon in to the afterlife, a beginning. There is no real end. Only one chapter of the whole story leads to another. The story itself doesn't really conclude."

            "So, you're against the idea of temporariness?" she ventured to inquire.

            "Everything else here is an energy; energy as you may know it is neither created nor destroyed. Things are only altered. You, humans, do not grasps all the things here in the material world, you get used to all things mundane, as a result, you felt  you lost something when it is only changed into something you will never be able to take hold of again." He paused momentarily." You have your sense of time. Minutes hold your emotions, hours your disposition, days aspiration and years anticipation whereas I am not under any law the hourglass indoctrinates. I may stand here to my heart's content until the time comes to burn me in that infernal furnace. You plan. I wait. You fulfil. I still wait."

            She retrieved a smile and wore it on her face." You understand mortality more than we humans do. But it's quite ironic for you t try to proselytize a flesh to believe in life when she's facing death."

            "I don't know. Maybe this conversation stirred me. You stirred me."

            "Apparently, yes. You've given me a new insight about life. But just as I said earlier, it's kind of ironic to talk about life when you're facing death."

            "Do you want to liv longer?  To be rid of that disease?"

            The lady grew silent. It seemed as if the man who looked so young was offering her something. Life? Continuation? Perhaps. "If I tell you yes, may I ask why are you asking? Since we're talking about living."

            "I only told you the hows of living, not why."

            "Then, maybe because. from the looks of it, I wanted to be worth, if bestowed a second chance, worthy to face you again. I'll tell you I am ready to earn what I deserve. I am ready to embrace you with arms wide open. To be honest, I am not ready yet. I'm scared. There are still clouds of uncertainty hanging overhead and I fear of what I'll find beyond. I want to be worthy of death." Yes, she henceforth treasured that moment whenthe end faced her again.

            He did not understand why God gave mortals some perishable shells. But he wanted to find out. He'd related his worth as death ; but will liferelate hers? One cannot exist without the other. He cannot exist - nor assert his existence- without life. The young man knew why he was  living: to make man feel he's there! A being. But life hadn't explained her side yet. He made up his mind." Then it is settled."

            The scythe he was holding that ceased the existence of one without blood having been shed was raised.

            The woman knew that it was time.

Angels of Black Heaven

CHAPTER THREE
book one: ethereal icarus

            Everything had to start from something. A conflagration always commenced with a little spark finding its way through few-dried leaves; then devouring everything in its path. So did Matthew Craighan's defiance. It started with a question. All were circling in his head: the night that made him admires mortality, the condemnation; the group of cloaked repears, the blooded night, the scythe he held in his hand. After all those times, he came to realize he wanted to feel. He wanted to live. He wanted to see the world with days numbered. He wanted to become human. He wanted to feel alive.

            Every passing day was like a book, as he flipped through the pages, all he wanted to know was being revealed before his eyes. But, he wasn't even halfway there. If the truth was a library worth, he had only stumbled upon a chapter or two.

            He felt cursed, like Anathema, though, he sure wished there was more to life, to his second life, than meets the eye.