Something wicked wrong these dark drear mid-fall days

Hate! flowing swift toward me — eternal truth, of course, but now

Just can't contend, absorb, accept or comprehend

Have lost so much, left emptied, dim wan broken shell, and yet

Harsh world, cruel words still on attack, no respite, warmth, or love

My weakling ways, my stupid pointless trying to be kind

All goes for naught — rebuffed, defeated, snidely scorned

And now I feel the darkness rising deep within

Black swollen heart, bleak hate replacing love I gave and longed for

Looked for — so hopelessly, looked to the grey stoned grave

The atmospheric river sky, the fragile sunparched breaking boughs

Asway above my weary dreary head, offering a sudden death

But so far death just one more false escape route, another promise-lie

Why live? why walk this grim-hued world with no real love?

Answer beckoning, to live on black moon anger, thrive on spite

As others do, salt diet of fuck you — and now it starts to feel

Perhaps, with will and effort, maybe, doable? perhaps

A skill I still can learn . . . apt student I have always been

At least, that's what my teachers often said, and so

Embrace the inner bitch, get good at it, be vengeful, cunning cruel?

Revel rich in malice? feast on pure venom, as all the others smiling do

Become, as we near hallowed Hallowe'en, at last, a timely witch?