Oscar Mike Delta Lima

Oscar.Mike.Delta.Lima.

Four years ago,

You asked me,

"Why do you stay so off-key?"

I told you that I liked to,

And that's what saw this hike through.

In the days of old,

You told me,

That you didn't know me,

And that you would like to,

But I had always been lied to.

In the summer of cold,

You pushed me,

To make me talk about what had me quiet,

And why I walk against what had been riots,

I said that's because I don't care,

Nobody does,

And time is a clause I won't spare.

I was chasing a star,

I'm not sure what you were looking for,

But all I know is that you got it.

It's true I didn't get very far,

You should know I don't blame you for it.

You were chasing royalty,

I'm not sure what you were thinking,

But all I know is that I messed up horribly.

It's true that I should've known before,

You should know that I'm sorry.

I remember the day I let someone down.

I was going to talk to a sweet swayer.

I don't know why you said that I'd drown,

Maybe you wanted to be a soothsayer.

You should know that it could have been great.

You asked me once,

Why I liked being a ghost.

Well, it was more like being a phantom,

Nothing that I ever did was random.

You should know that I never lost hope.

It's not been the same since then,

I've been away, some say I've been dead.

But that's the way I am,

Heart of silicon, head of lead.

You should know I meant all that I said.

I've been on the horizon since then,

Listening to all the voices and the violins.

The songs they've been singing,

The notes have been ringing.

You've been quietly loud.

Found a place to stay away from the sound,

But not from the crowd.

But what goes around comes back around,

And here you are, once again hell bound.

While I've been treading waves,

You've been grounded,

I've been swimming in riptides,

You've been surrounded.

Sharks on land, they've eaten away the sand.

Left you on an island,

Like a rolling stone.

You should know that you can take my hand.

I know you are not going anywhere,

Though you want to.

I know that you aren't doing anything,

What is it that you want to do?

I know you're growing older,

Just remember to not grow colder.

As always I'm right here.

Wear your crown proudly,

You've got a kingdom to run,

Oh my dear frostreaver...

Mother Willow (Abstractions - Screech)

Mother Willow

Mother Willow…

Don't weep for me,

Mother Willow…

Would you keep a leaf,

A little bit of shade,

In the blazing summer sun.

So I may rest,

For when I give up another run.

I’ve learned…

I'm aware of what I gained.

The knowledge, it burns…

It sears its way into my brain.

Oh, Mother Willow…

I know what I've lost.

Through the lust, the greed, the fear…

I've betrayed my trust.

My dear child,

It is not too late to stop,

Made your peace with your wars,

But I am afraid you have not.

We are creatures of habit,

You are looking for a hand,

I am afraid I do not have it,

But I will give you my strength.

You can rest beneath my canopy,

I will protect you from the sun,

Stay here as long as you want,

Till you are ready to get back on the road,

Looking to set yourself free.

Mother willow…

What’s my destiny?

Staying afloat in the stratosphere,

Or speaking to a sad machine?

Mother willow…

You've seen many years,

Seen the present and the has beens,

Do you recognize these fears?

Mother willow…

I see shadows, I see silhouettes,

I'm scared of what they'll expect,

I see people put up their fence,

I see paths that don't make sense.

Why don’t they walk these roads?

Why are they so lost on their own?

Mother willow…

How do they stay insane?

Why do they not face their pain?

Why do they run from the blame?

How do they keep doing the same thing over and over again?

My dear child,

Worry not about the shadows,

They are as lost as you are.

They have their own wars,

Their own pasts, their own reasons,

They will find their way through the wild.

I know the fears of which you speak,

I have seen them all through the seasons,

Do not fight the fear, child,

Push through to the other side.

Be who you want to be,

Your destiny is what you make it,

Once you break through the levee.

If you ever feel broken,

Or you ever feel alone,

My roots have always been here,

And shall remain forevermore.

Mother willow…

Is being in the darkness wrong?

I've stayed in it too long,

Is it right to want to stay?

I know my way around,

But I fear I'm led astray.

I'm confused,

I'm lost in a lot of thoughts,

I've been fighting forever,

All these battles that I've fought,

Have they all been for naught?

How can I be sure of what is what?

My child,

The darkness is part of life,

You can stay there as long as you want,

But know the way out, should you change your mind,

Being lost is a dangerous find.

Do not let your thoughts bring you lower,

Your confusion says that you need to go slower,

The depths of your soul will lead you to the cliffs of Dover,

Just let yourself be, you will find your clover.

You will have to fight, dear child,

War is eternal, it is always nigh,

Ash darkens the days, fires brighten the night,

Remember to remember how you learned to fight.

As you grow older, you grow wiser,

You know truths, and you will know lies,

The waves fall, and the snows rise,

You will learn how to see through disguise,

Do not fret, it is a tale as old as time.

Mother willow...

I don’t sleep,

I don’t speak,

I don’t know how I’ve become this weak.

I used to know,

I used to be,

Now I’m lost searching for the power in me.

I remember right, I remember wrong,

I used to remember every single song.

But now I just write,

I just let it go on.

I don’t remember how I used to be strong.

Oh child,

You have grown.

Do you remember everything that you own?

There is no need to know,

You can learn and take a bow.

Take a knee, but do not bend,

Learn from your beloved reverend.

Forever you must go,

Time does not stop its flow,

Do not stop, or you may forget,

Keep singing along,

But keep your rhythm in check,

Let your mind wander,

But keep your feet on the ground.

Mother willow…

I feel very low.

Sleep envelops me,

I’ve nowhere to go.

Sweet child of mine,

Let your dreams be free,

My shadow will protect you,

Come, rest beneath my canopy...

Years (Abstractions - Screech)

YEARS

Years go by,

I haven't wasted any,

I've just waited many,

Theory crafting every nuance,

But feeling it is something else.

I don't have the words,

So far I've heard,

I've seen and I've said,

But being there is something else.

I know where I am,

I don't know what I'm doing,

But, that's okay.

I made it this far,

I don't know where I'm going,

But I'm here today,

It's gotta count for something.

Percussion and precautions,

Drums and decoctions.

Raging and riding,

Wronging and writing.

Flowing and firing,

Fondling and fighting.

My hands are tied, my hands are rough,

My hands have seen days when the going was tough.

My hands have been my strength,

They have been my friends.

But my hands have done things in life,

My hands have made me regret.

I've had close encounters of the third base,

I've had fires that screamed into my face,

I've had people tell me I've been misplaced,

I've had wars and peace with my own ways,

I've had it all taken away, just in case.

I've had silence that seems deafening,

I've had zones that seem threatening,

I've had anomalies that flayed my head,

I've had atrocities that plagued my bed,

Made me see red,

Despite how much I begged,

I couldn't stop the spread,

Jumped into the void instead.

I've had them depend on me,

I've seen them pretend to not see,

I've heard them claim their rise to fame,

I've known them too well to let them fail.

I've been there when they fell,

I've saved them from horrors I won't tell,

I've made them live, and lived to write the tale.

I've shifted shapes, they've drifted away,

I've mixed them tapes, they've fixed their gaze,

I've sewn them capes, they've shown their face.

I've trapped my being, inside my brain,

I've not used me, until absolute necessity,

I've held myself off, to not cause pain,

It just hurts the ones around me.

But...

I'm off the hook, I've been let off the chain,

I'm off the leash, I've broken out of the cage.

Let's see how far I can take this,

Make sure to not mistake it,

There's no "fake it till I make it".

Way out of this world, an isolated alien,

Ripley ain't got shit on yours truly,

Believe it or not,

I've been in the game for far too long,

It's boring to be normal,

So formal it's informal,

Like a fuel drinking inferno,

A glitch like the missingNO,

I'm silly, it's a way to let off the smoke.

My words speak louder than my actions,

It hurts me when I'm divided by fractions,

It's high risk with higher transactions,

Sometimes I don't get what I give.

It's crazy as to how long it took,

But time is subjective,

Nothing's by the book.

Me? I'm a crook.

Switch places with the rook,

Gambles and Gambits,

I don't even need to look.

Birds of a feather,

Collectively strive to be different,

They write letters,

When they can just hit send,

They talk about the weather,

When the world's about to end.

Mellotrons scratching,

Piano lessons dragging,

Cold winds biting,

While I sit here laughing,

Knowing everything,

I keep on playing,

I don't think they realize,

Whatever's going on is more than gaming.

Nobody cares, nobody knows,

Nobody has to, I do quite well on my own.

Bah, I'll care when one is two,

Or two are one, that would be fun.

For now, let me enjoy this life,

For too long I've had nothing to do,

I've been locked up inside,

Finally free, I'm not waiting around,

Stabbed and stitched, I'm not bleeding out.

Burn the cuts, seal them shut.

Twist the sprains, re-lock dislocations in place.

Suture the wounds, clean the bullet holes.

Keep one in the chamber,

For when it gets too cold.

Lick the blood off my lips,

Reset my nose, eyes set to kill.

My head is my own,

I can read all of this,

Nobody comes close,

Not this time, not nor never again.