[Malthaussen]

"Intimations of Mortality"

"I'm different," you say, and Somebody laughs.
Are we not all different to ourselves?
We are fleshy dice to be rolled in the cup
Of a whimsical god.

No power over others can possibly match
The power Fate holds over us.
It will take all that we value
And shatter it into dust.

In the blink of an eye, oh "different" one,
It will cripple, or maim, or kill.
It will laugh at your love,
Sneer at your tears,
And make a mockery of your will.

Want to see "fear in a handful of dust?"
Then look in a mirror, my child.
For we are all of us a handful of dust
And fear is our birthright.

Titter inside your Darkness, children:
You'll find real darkness soon enough.

(Copyright Feb 2001, Eric M. Hammer)