Jitter Issue #3
The Eternal Masquerade
The Eternal MasqueradeDown the dark and dreary paths of townWaltzers move without a soundTheir bodies so tidy; clothes so straightWhat could they be doing out so late?The befuddled townsfolk pondered thisAnd took steps toward the dark abyss.As the Waltzers continued their timely dance,More villagers soon advancedThe Waltzers bore masks of odd hueAnd acted as though this were their debut;An act choreographed with the greatest of careFlakes of snow seemed to Waltz through the airSeeing such merriment, some stood still,Admiring the Waltzer's swiftness and skill.Others waited for the dance to be doneNot wanting to interrupt the funBut a glint of metal quickly flashed!A villager fell bloody with a crashBut the Waltzer's movements Never falteredNever slowed and Never alteredSanguine SnowOn the cobblestoneA limp body landedWith neither a scream nor moanNo one paid noticeAnd none seemed concernedThe enticing WaltzHad the populace charmedThe dark, cloaked WaltzersSeemed endlessly numberedTheir souls appeared emptyCompletely plunderedThen within momentsThe slain man rose!He appeared the sameSave for the stains on his clothesHis gaunt expressionTwisted; contorting in placeSeeming as though a maskHad replaced his faceShadows of townsfolk mergedWith the shadows of bladesThey had not a momentTo evadeMothers, Fathers, Whole families fell deadBodies twitched to life while others bledAs the night went on, so did the WaltzersContinuing on until all were slaughteredPools of blood lined shadowy streetsHumanity and mercy had utterly ceasedMuscles and skin opened up like curtainsRevealing their delicate bones and organsBut despite death and miseryAll who joined the Waltz felt freeThey're bodies were painless and faces plainFeeling joy knowing they'd always remainFor the Waltzers are unholy thingsAnswering to neither Gods nor KingsMerely dancing their way from town to cityGladly eviscerating those they pityAnd taking them in as fellow assassinsSlicing the innocent without compassionBeneath their guises, they are sorrowed and coldLiving forever, but growing so Old...