Vile arrows slicing through the darkness,
With tainted tips kissed by the insane,
Rain down upon the heads and hearts
Of the victims of viciousness,
Piercing
As they plunge
Into their life's blood.
All the while, vomit from the bellies of vipers
Spew acidic poison across their faces,  
Burning 
Deep unforgiving scars
Into the marrow,
Leaving the etchings of The Mad, 
A signature of pure evil.

Death will not find me today.

Screams from the mouths of the dying
Echo inside the haunted minds of the living
Gnawing away the resolve to sustain, to survive.
Gasping sounds resonate the injustice
Over and over,
Again and again,
Draining the will to remain.
Sinking
In the mire of black hearted pools,
Drowning
In the murk of madness,
I pray for rescue
Searching for a lifeline of hope.

Death will not find me today.

A light breaks through the darkness;
A hand reaches across the vast ocean of fear:
Love touches the pain and healing begins.
There in the midst of mayhem, hope shines eternal
Lifting
Me from the power of death,
Loving
Me with the power of redemption.
Renewing
Begins in the smile on the face of Peace.
Cleansing
Comes in the washing away of the past.

Hope finds Peace in the arms of Love.

And,

Death did not find me today.

Kathy Lockhart
1/17/08