Raise Your Colors: Three Villains in Three Acts
Act I: Laughable
Purple Flag,
Green Flag
Wildly swirl above the
Shattered Dead
Scattered Dead.
Laughter rings cruelly in
The cold evening air
In shards of razors
And agony;
Bombs explode like fireworks
Set off in buildings
Across the city,
And the living run
Like dogs chasing cars,
Like herds of sheep.
And he crosses to you,
All long legs and laughter,
His gaze pierces you, and
He smiles.
You feel the chaos
Rising, rising –
And for a moment,
The briefest moment,
You see what Madness is:
A jester dancing beneath
A garish banner,
Laughing in victory.
Why So Serious?
Act II: Confounding
Emerald Flag,
Black Flag
Above the chessboard,
And you are no Chessmaster.
Questions bombard you,
Abstract concepts –
Wrap your head around that one,
You think you're so smart.
There's always something deeper,
Always something else,
So think outside the box.
Clues here,
Clues there,
But only one answer, and
It's not what you think.
It never is, not in Life,
And certainly not here, Heaven forbid.
This conundrum's no simple matter,
No jigsaw puzzle,
No Magic Ring Trick,
No Fox, Bird, and Feed –
This is merely
A Game of Chess,
Only strategy, wit and guile
Will help you here.
The question marks hang
In still air, trailing off
Unsolved
Unresolved.
Is that too difficult?
I'm sorry, what was the question?
Alright then, another one.
Riddle Me This…
Act III: Terrifying
Black Flag,
Brown Flag
Dark as night –
Impeccable gloom is
Your Siren Song.
Surrender to Fear;
I will aid you.
Let your Nightmare unfold,
Face it head on,
Run away screaming, but
You can't escape.
You can never escape.
Why are you adverse to it?
It's merely research, my research.
I've a scientific mind,
Curious to a fault like
A cat, like a kitten.
I must know, and will not stand
For "No"!
I simply want to make
Your Fears come true,
As if on cue,
To hear the pulse race,
To see what scares people.
Spiders, Bats, and Clowns –
What are you afraid of?
What is it you won't face?
Tell me.
Tell me!
Two in one, but one is the other.
Expect the First, only to be
Haunted by the Second
With horrible consequences –
I'm dreadfully sorry, but
Dr. Crane's Not In.