The Complete Loss

Stumbling through the dirt
He asks himself questions that only he can answer
He’s been feeling some kind of malady
Going through life as if through a looking-glass
Watching as the clouds glide through a darkened sky
Wondering at the frigid wind that freezes his bones
Chilled to the core by the promise of what’s to come
Waiting by a creek for a lover he has no hope of ever meeting
Feet immersed in tepid water full of disease
Emotions sapping at his energy like a greedy witch
Hoping for salvation where damnation waits
Praying to a god that forsook us all
Hiding from the villagers and their damned damnations
Listening to the crows as they glide around him hopefully
Not one word of kindness to the children who visit him
Not one thought of empathy for the old and aged
Cursing the shrines and the tombs in equal fervor
Spitting at the men of spirits who dare to redeem his soul
Stuck in anguish over a life lost long ago
Having forgotten how it is to be alive
What is it to be alive?
What is it to be living?
He refuses to do penance; he will not atone
He has set himself away from the plebeians
Embittered, he can only yowl at the moon
Aggrieved, he must place blame
And so, he sits and so he waits
But the days refuse to change
He is the same and so are his days
His dreams are feverish
He wakes with despair on his lips
And bitterness in his eyes
What is this life, he asks
What is this life, he ponders
The children take no note
The villagers continue being villagers
He beats at his chest and his shouts are maddening
He weeps from time to time
He throws himself into the river
And the more he does, the more he loses
He’s tormented by a hell he can’t see
His affliction rots the earth where he stands
Why must it be this way, he wonders
Why must I continue like this, he laments
The frigid air turns
The moon disappears
The sun refuses to come out
His reflection is not his own
He tries to reach out and all is lost
How much must a man bear?
How much can a man take?
What is this life?
What is life?
What is this life?
He tries to discern
He really tries to discern
Salvation, godforsaken