I balanced precariously on a crowded thread of hope. br Stuck between the sharp edges of a bloodied guillotine of trust. br I pointedly dismissed blind instinct; screaming silently in fear. br Thrust forward into the labyrinth of ceaseless consumption; br I was judged and sentenced without the benefit of evidence. br You mocked me with your fake please of restless torment. br My naiveté crackling through the recesses of a broken accord. br I was Pandora and my box was the thread of hope unleashed. br Plaguing my thoughts with nightmares of a distant and oblique dawn. br I woke in a river of unshed tears threatening to consume me. br I trusted foolishly that the guillotine would not claim my soul. br But, I was a victim to my own shattered sphere of radiant need. br And you were forgotten and dismissed like a beautiful mirage of love. br br Copyright 2006 A.J. McKinleybr br A.J.