They linger here, my demons shady

sailing in storm in yawning mind.

“Come to me,” my mortal demons implore

nibbling on my brain, chewing my psyche.

I smile to hide malignant spirits hovering

thriving darkness commandeering my mind.

Beasts with human faces and coated red skins

dripping with blood, pouring poison on wounds,

smothering me with outstretched screams, as

freezing knife of terror plunges within

while monsters gaily play checkers on my soul.

I suppress these spirits but I can’t release them -

they torment, swimming backstrokes in my skull

I want to flee to the moon to escape their wrath

but they wear dreadful disguise of flaming madness

I cry for relief but no one hears my plaintive cries

Don’t navigate my mind, that’s where demons dwell.

You push me

to hate you

your words

that patronize and squeeze

have two tails

they go nowhere

when I'm about to lose it

you want that last goddamn word

to push that button

to send me

over the edge

it's not love

to treat someone

this way

it's not love 

to force the monster

inside of me

out 

in a fiery exclamation

to lock eyes with you

to scream at you

to hiss at you

leave her alone

she's safe there

leave me alone

I'm safe here

I'm warning you

you might not 

want to visit

my mind

that's where 

all my demons dwell

Oh no you don't want to get to close to me,

For there's been too much torture my soul has seen.

The voices, my choices

or did someone make me do it?

Alright go on then let's get to it!

The whispers send shivers

Up and down my spine.

They speak of past wars, Persia and Roman times.

They speak of manipulation of Governments

and how they influence mans fall

And that's not all...

These voices tell me about the new Hell.

You might not want to visit my mind, that's where all my DEMONS dwell...

You might not want to visit my mind

That's where all my demons dwell

I put up a happy exterior showing people I am incapable of evil things

But truth be told I am and 99 percent of my thoughts if I were to act on every one of them I can guarantee I would be in a mental hospital. My mind is not rainbows and unicorns it is a dark place where I go to feel safe and my mind controls me. It makes me think things that are out of this world. The human mind is a very strong thing and it can destroy anyone by the click of a button.

If you have the choice, stay out of my mind,

Because that is where all my demons dwell.

You’ll probably not like all you will find,

In my private psychological hell.

Hallways with cobwebs where dreams unravel,

Purely random without reason or rhyme.

Walking barefoot upon painful gravel,

Fooling deception with visions sublime.

A poor rodent trapped inside of a maze,

As craziness permeates here and there.

Perpetuating a hopeless malaise,

A simple warning so you’ll be aware.

Seemingly scattered, unrelated thoughts,

Hiding until someone connects the dots.

Turn round and face me, 

Put me to the test.

Tread very carefully, 

Give it your best.

You try to scare me

But you're just a pest.

Think you can take me?

Surely you jest.

Do you really wanna see

Just like the rest?

Are you that needy

Your soul to invest?

Here I wait patiently

For you I've undressed.

Look in my eyes deeply, 

Where my demons rest.

You may not want to visit

My mind

That's where all my demons dwell.

It's a constant battlefield

Where I'm always on the losing side.

Because it's me against an army of monsters

While I'm just plain old me.

I wasn't always alone in this war

I used to fight alongside my allies:

Hope, Dreams, Happiness

But in this age old war

It has dwindled down to just me.

They've been taken by the enemies:

Despair, Anguish, Sadness

And so I'm here

Fighting a losing battle.

I don't know if I can win

These monsters

Are already tearing at the walls of my mind

While I've been chained up

In my own mind

By demons known as Anxiety and Depression.

I can't get out on my own

I've come to realize.

I need someone to help me-

To help me fight this war in my head.

You may not want to visit my mind

But I may need you to.

Please save me

Before I become one of them.

Walking along the borderline of sanity, you fell into the abyss and lost your mind. Nothing was hidden at the bottom, not a single monster or memory. All of your regrets crawled out of the corners, fully armed and ready to fight. They pushed forward until your back was against the wall, and for the first time in years you came face to face with your demons.

Are you strong enough to take them on?

I sat in the corner booth, sipping stale coffee and eating day old pie. But then, I didn't come here for the food. Irma, the owner, knew me, and she didn't judge me like everyone else did.

A waitress walked by, carrying a plate to another patron. The little demon on her shoulder cocked its head at me curiously. They always seemed to be confused by a person without a demon.

But I do have a demon. Unfortunately.

My thoughts were interrupted by the ringing bell over the door. A man stood there a moment, hat in his hand, looking nervously around. His demon was standing behind his legs, peeking out as though mimicking its masters nervousness. The demon was a pale yellow color; so the man was a reader.

After a moment he spotted me and came over. "Mr. Harris?" He sounded as nervous as he looked.

"Have a seat. And for heavens sakes relax, will you?"

"R-right."

Irma walked up, her little red demon sitting in an apron pocket. She smiled at me, and placed a cup of coffee in front of my new friend. "What can I get ya, sweetie?"

"Nothing, thanks." Irma nodded and walked away.

"So," I said, "what can I do for you Mr. Jones?"

There was a pause before he replied. "I need your help with something. Er, someone, actually."

"Ah." That was pretty typical. I advertised that I could take care of any problem, and most people have problems with other people. "What kind of help are we talking here?"

But Mr. Jones was staring at me. "I can't read you," he said.

"Good, that's not why I'm here. Is this an elimination we're talking about?"

"No. Well, yes. I mean, sort of." Jones watched the diner, like he was waiting for something bad to happen. He jumped when Irma heated up a pot of coffee with a burst of flame from her palm. Her demon cackled at this trivial use of it's gift to her.

"Why don't you just relax, Mr. Jones, and tell me about it."

"Right. It's my brother. I think he's going to try to kill me."

"I see. And you want me to kill him first?"

Jones hesitated. "Look, Mr. Harris, I don't typically do business with people I can't read. They usually have something to hide." When he said this, his demon hissed at me.

I sighed. "You'll need to trust me if we're going to work together. Tell me more about your brother."

"No." The little demon folded its arms stubbornly. "I want to visit your mind first, make sure you're trustworthy."

"You might not want to visit my mind, that's where my demon dwells."

A shadow crossed his face, the same confusion everyone felt when I told them where my demon was. "That's ridiculous."

I sighed again. Careful not to drop them altogether, I released some of the wards surrounding my mind, placed there to prevent readers from visiting. I could see Jones concentrating. And as he felt the wards go down, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. I hurriedly replaced the wards. "Satisfied?" I asked.

"Dear God..."

"Yep." I took a sip of my coffee. "That's the usual reaction. Now, let's talk about your brother."

You might not want to visit my mind for that's where all my demons dwell

Always beckoning me trying to pull me deeper into their hell

Some are cruel choosing to pick at the slightest bone

Some talk sharply others favour a more seductive tone

Some like to build me up just to watch me fall

Enjoying making me feel worthless unwanted and small

Sometimes their voices are deafening to me

All trying to be talk at once all trying to be

At night when I am alone in my bed

I hear them scheming and laughing inside my head

One will whisper another will shout

But they all want one thing and that is to be let out

© M.Withers/M.Strudwick . All rights reserved.

Both the name The EriduSerpent/EriduSerpent

and any written material is owned solely by the above named.

Permission granted for all written material to be shared but not for profit.

Printing or publishing is prohibited without seeking permission first from said owner.