Crisp sheets of new paper,
The words spring from the page,
Calling out to you,
They have a story to tell.
The book falls open in your hands,
Revealing to you the secrets of an author's mind.
The characters become your friends.
Their problems are yours,
As are their relationships, failures, and success.
You can see what's happening clearly in your mind,
It doesn't seem like a story so much,
As something you recall from memory.
As you near the end,
You have a feeling of relief,
As the character solves their problem.
You close the book with a snap,
Look around at the people that having been calling out to you,
You never heard a word from them.
You look at your hands,
Smile at the book,
Your sweet, sweet escape.

Written by [MyAlterEgo]

I called you, "Come look out the window," and
   You asked, "Why, babe, what do you see?"
I told you I see magic bleeding.
   You said, "No, no...No, I don't see a thing." 'Cus
  Smoke and fog is all around you,
  Smoke and fog curled in your hair.
    A dusty morning turns to evening,
       The stars shine bright yet you're unaware...

I stayed there staring out the window, and
   You seemed genuinely intrigued.
But you never would have believed me if
   I said I was watching my dreams. See,
  Smoke and fog is all around you,
  Smoke and fog clouding your eyes.
    I try to tell you but I hate repeating,
       Open your heart before it goes blind.

I finally turned from that window, then
   You looked to see what you might find.
I knew that you'd be getting nowhere, still
   Your reaction took me by surprise, crying
 "Smoke and fog is all around me,
  Smoke and fog like a grey sea!
    You see so much that I can't even imagine,
        A gift that I've always envied."

  Smoke and fog is all around you,
  Smoke and fog blurring the night.
    You're trying hard just to see how I do,
        Eyes might be blind, but your heart's alright!

Written by [kamisch]

I come upon you before you can cry out
I am the shadows, that talk and whisper
I am your fear, that pricks your heart

And makes you sweat, and goose-pimple your skin
Like little men scurrying up and down your arms
They mean you harm in their little spiked shoes!

And I am the one, that will lift your hair
And breathe against your neck
And send an icy shiver down to the very tip of your spine

I cloak you in fitful dreams
My blackness is claustrophobic
My kiss is stifling as I steal your breath

Wait for a pleasant death, my dear
And you'll be waiting long
I am not here to be sweet

By the time I have finished with you
You will welcome a deep sleep
Come now, for I am the Night Demon

I sit on the edge of your bed
And watch you sleep
Savour every breath, every movement

You are mine.

Written by [9jlriexqk,ktpk]

I miss you
running in your wheel
at absurd hours of the night.
You tried to convince me
that it was a metaphor for the universe.
The choicest morsels of food
that you stored in that wheel,
represented planets and galaxies;
bouncing around,
driven by the pitter-patter
of little paws.

Sometimes, even in sleep,
your feet would go through the motions.
Because the hamster that spins the universe
doesn't stop for anything.

Written by [Doormat]