A Testament to Our Will

Dear Hand,

I’m sorry.

I’m sorry for all that you have had to endure.

You’ve been pushed, beaten, and throttled to unforgivable limits.

All the hardships that you have been burdened with,

The mirth you have been stripped of,

and the youth that has been cleaved from you.

This,

and so much more,

Is my fault.

I am the one to blame for your misery and sorrow.

The blisters and callouses you adorn are the

Product of my deranged passions.

I’m sorry

That you have been starved of rest and nourishment.

Having spent many violent nights

Toiling away with only the moon’s caress to guide you.

You have been crafting lands of enchantments,

Worlds of a child-like fantasy,

And converging with an army of new-born oddities.

Always in the hopes of bringing me peace of mind.

I have not been gracious towards you,

Nor your efforts to appeasing this

Burning-white star that has

Engulfed my once empty heart cavity.

This inferno that embodies my soul,

and fuels the impossible!

You have been the only one to stand against its burning intensity.

Aiding my side, and baring down with me

As its near-incapacitating embrace invokes our passions.

For that,

I regret having bestowed only wrong-doings

Unto you as a reward.

But, despite this error in character,

We shall continue to pursue our purpose

Together.

Together,

You and I have

Vanquished and conquered an unmeasurable tally of

Pencils, notebooks, giga-bytes, and reference materials.

Devouring a lifetime’s worth of

Lonesome nights in our many hours of joint solitude.

Both having been left to our maddening devices.

The pencil yielding

To our esoteric metaphors,

Our run-on syntax, and

Even giving form to our morbid messages.

The messages that may never be said aloud

By our cowardice society.

You and I

Have seen an abundance of wonders

Which are unworthy for this scope of the universe.

The bitter ideals you write

Are revoked by society’s sensitive palette,

And discarded for their unorthodox appeal.

Yes,

You and I have been rejected.

But, we have also rejected.

You know my suffering and forlornness,

Waiting in the dark,

Waiting for the uncertain morning’s sun to rise.

You listen and understand;

The fears and worries

That lack comprehension within their

Battered cage of my mind.

For that reason,

You have become both my closest ally and sworn enemy.

A friend that comforts my ailments,

And the force that deprives me of an easy slumber.

So,

Even as we collaborate the destruction of both our beings,

I am reassured

Knowing that no matter the challenge that we are faced with;

You will be at my side

Brandishing a pencil for a sword

And a notebook for a shield.

Acting my valiant knight and confidant,

Slaying

One

Word

At a

Time.

Forever your enslaver,

Kathleen R. Cassell