Chased by my own madness—

a hamster in a wheel:

content to where i am

but always fearing staying still.

For still creates a hollow place

that darkness tries to fill.

i still believe in peace and love,

but tonight i am afraid:

my lips have sipped belladonna,

and i bask in its shade.

Like change, i hold no control,

so madness starts to prey:

tap-tap, tap-tap—

a vexing sound inside my mind;

bang-bang! bang-bang!—

an itch creeps up my spine,

telling me to open up

and leave my soul behind.

i let a little dark come in—

only just a crack,

but it quickly dims the light in me—

my heart's been painted black;

and a silent, steady whisper

has my mind under attack.

Chased by my own madness,

and i fear I've fallen still;

to give in would be madness—

but the strength i need to feel,

is buried somewhere deep inside

a heart harder than steel.