I, Z, Blue, Not Black.

NOW

"We need to talk about Z."
"I Am Aware Of That, Cassandra."
"So, are you in...or are you out?"

******************************
THEN

I looked for him there.
At My Bar?
Searched throughout,
couldn't find him,
tore the place apart.

Did You Look In The Child's Library?
I did, even used his All-Pass Card,
even went down the hall to Room Z.
I See.

Then as I walked out,
the halls turned into a garden,
burning hot pavement under my boots,
wasn't no concrete jungle,
just stairs that never seemed to end--
That Was Roman's Lament.

Yes, a dark, obscure land,
with fog around,
leading to his Volcano,
a tomb,
like Hades' Underground,
full of fumes.

I yelled, "Romy!"
Even shouted, "Hades!"
Then I screamed for Anubis,
but then Dream stepped forward.

---

None of who appeared were him,
Dream and his Endless Siblings,
full of sin.

Then they pushed me out,
the floor was lava,
I melted through,
came across Doc's office,
remembered my head trauma.

I pushed the door open,
screamed for answers,
I am getting tired,
where is Roman?
"H3ll0, P4t13nt F0urt33n,
said the Necromancer.

"Dr1nk?" he offered me a glass,
I know, I know,
it isn't a request,
it's an order,
why would I turn down Doc's offer?

---

So I take a sip of wine,
so fine,
but then the glass turns grey,
so I scream, "Hey!"

Someone spiked this drink--
hypnosis.

"W3lc0m3 h15 p5ych0515,"


And then it all turns into a fever dream,
I awake in a theater,
burnt down to flames,
if you could only see her--

The Muse,
a sculpture,
of Crazy Sexy Pants Babe,
staring down to the audience,
so blue.

Then the play begins,
and I ask myself,
comedy?
Tragedy?
But I know it's both.
Directed by the Twins,
watching over from the balcony,
like I'm in Death Row.

I hear one of him say,
"here she comes, the Fair Maiden!"
And the play begins,
but I still ask,
where is Romy?
Then Poe whispers in my ear,
"ask the Raven."

So I run out the Exit Row,
push the door open,
find myself on a beach,
sand beneath my toes,
this is X's place,
with no foes.

And his Reina finds me struggling,
she asks,
"que necesitas, chica?"
But how do I respond,
can she help me,
fix my herida?


Then I start smelling coffee,
and the sand begins to vanish,
like I am waking up from a coma,
no longer hearing Spanish.

I regain consciousness,
I see the pyramids,
a sacred place,
it's Seker's temple,
but without a trace.

---

I search for him,
but I can't find him,
something is wrong,
do I need to sing him a song?

"How can I say this,
without breaking,
how can I put it down to words,
and I've loved, and I've loved,
and I lost him. And it hurts like hell...
yeah it hurts like hell..."

Then the echoes down the pyramid halls,
they sing back.
And I feel my chest get heavy,
like a heart attack.

"And it hurts like hell...yeah, it Hurts Like Hell..."

Sekhmet then shows her face,
she growls at me,
makes her presence known,
no smile,
just a frown.

The last thing I feel is her paw,
hitting my face,
then in a matter of seconds,
I wake up again,
in a different hell.

I am just outside Pharaoh's Temple,
I wish it was this simple...

But only The Queen appears,
my brother Dark Green--
nowhere to be seen.

So once again, I leave the pyramids,
and I find myself at Rojo's Jungle.

The sun covers me with a blanket of warmth,
then I get hit by a swarm.

Killer bees,
or are they branches of trees?

Here she appears,
The Goddess,
she reminds me the Jungle already has a ruler,
tells me politely,
I am now an intruder.

So I leave,
and enter his Labyrinth,
you know where I am now,
I become the feast,
for now only here exists the Beast.

I cannot find Romy here either,
the walls of this maze are hollow,
I do not have bread crumbs to follow.

I feel like now I only have one room yet to see,
wish I could remember...
it rhymed with three.

So I get ready to exit,
to come out,
onto reality,
and one last time,
I shout:

"Roman! Come home."

---