Sydney Clark

Block D
Ballad: The Forest

Down inside the valley woods

Hid a pitiless play
The journey churned up my heart
On the mad, mocking day

The windy enticing paths

Disguised the horrible truth
But the old and wise won’t help
For the woods torture the youth

Each overlooked step I take

Roots curl around my feet
I’ve fallen, flat on my face
Wallowing in deceit

There are moments that feel right

As if the very wood
Is begging for forgiveness
The trap had began where I stood

Everything was going well

I believed I made amends
The journey grew much smoother
As if we could be friends

Of course it never lasted

I had made a wrong turn
A slip that I could not afford
Had made the woods back stern

The taste of peace was too good

What might have happened
If I thought quick on my feet?
More or less I’ve awakened

This journey cannot be solved

Through pathetic pleasing
I shall fight through this forest
Until its roots are kneeling
 Sydney Clark
Block D
The sea of trees have thinned
Victory shines through the brush
I walk one last step, breaking
Into an unstoppable rush

Foliage flies past my head

Wind swipes the dirt off my face
The end is strides away
I pause before the open space

Turning back towards the forest

I see blatant suffering
So much pain lies in the dirt
It’s too awful to stay standing

I reached inside my pocket

Grasping a tiny case
The power is overwhelming
Everything could be erased

I pull out a fragile pick

Striking it over a rock
Heat trickles down my hands
Ticking slowly like a clock

It glides through my fingers

As I step onto the clear track
I walked as far as I could
Without a single look back