TOMMOROW MAN:
Oh, here comes the tomorrow man,
His fate held tight in time’s own hand.
In unborn years, his dreams take flight,
Thunder stirring his inner sky.
Its echoes loud yet far away,
Drowning the gold of fleeting day.
In Hereafter land, his castle lies,
So grand that even Gatsby sighs.
Here he revels, here he plays,
Drunk on the donjon he built so high.
But echoes haunt the gilded halls,
And emptiness within the walls.
Oh, here comes the tomorrow man,
Buried deep in yesterday’s sand,
Yet his heart beats in Hereafter land.
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Hereafter Land:
No countries here,
No king, No kingdom,
But castles vast as wandering moons.
Here rivers flow in reverse,
Here winds ride upon the sand,
Here all who wander long to stand,
For this my friend,
Is the Hereafter Land.
All stands as equal, yet stand above,
All eat what they not eat,
All see what they not see,
All kiss what they not kiss,
All feel what they not feel,
All here dandelions but dandelions,
All here grand but grand,
You've probably figured it out by now,
For this my friend,
Is the Hereafter Land.
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Where None Is All:
Some eyes never fall,
Some never leave.
But when those that do not fall do fall,
They are blinded by what they see.
Here lies a castle—
Reaching, always reaching,
Mountains beyond the stars,
A golden sea by a golden beach,
The sands, the winds, silver,
Carrying weightless whispers,
Lost in the clouds.
Eyes will never reach—
Not until they do,
Beyond the peaks of stars,
Where the gate stands—
Grander than the grandest thing,
Unseen.
And all the while—
Tender soul unaware,
Grand Castles they were
Building with sands of gold,
Sinks them deeper,
Into once golden, ashen river,
Where the flow reverses—
Beyond the mountains that fall,
Where stars break and break,
Where all is none,
And none is all.
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Wretched Soul:
All hope to be here, but cannot see beyond—
Beyond the edge of Hereafter Land,
Where shadows fall,
Stars descend,
And silver winds, hollow and cold,
Whisper of the suns and moons untold.
Drunk on the trails, veiled in the mists,
They could not doubt the dubious tales—
A place,
A place they sought,
A place they dreamed of,
Now, a place they wish to flee.
The sand sunk deep,
Grains of the golden beach,
Stars broken by the mountains
Peaks that reached too high,
Castle once grand,
Now their tomb,
The river swollen rises—
Now,
No matter how they creep,
No matter how they beg,
It is too late — It is too late
They kneel,
But wretched shadows will not let them be,
Dragged them to the Abyssal Sea.
It is too late — It is too late
They kneel,
For from all the wonderlands,
They choosed to dwell in the Hereafter Land.
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Be Wary:
Here comes the Tomorrow Man,
To tell the tales of Tomorrow’s Land.
Here comes the Tomorrow Man,
To tell the tales of…
What happened, Tomorrow Man?
Sweat on your brow,
A hollow glance—
Eyes dimmed, flickering,
Lost within the fissures of time.
What of the castle?
The maidens, the brethren, the servants—
Gone.
Did you not walk beyond the stars?
Into dusk, where shadows collapse,
Leaving behind the land of now?
Did you not step onto the clouded edge,
To rest upon golden sands?
Did you not reach the Hereaft—
No.
Do not utter that name.
Never speak it aloud.
They will come,
And they will take what remains.
I warn you:
Do not tread that path.
Do not seek it.
Not now.
Not ever.
It is but a dream—
All light, all gold.
All gold.
The river runs with it.
The hills are sculpted of it.
Even the stars—
Flickering.
Gold. Gold.
Everything gold.
But no,
It is not gold.
Not gold.
Not gold.
For it is never gold.
The land—
Haunted, murmuring beneath the surface.
A trapdoor spider, waiting.
The bones of men form mountains.
Stars burn with unquenched thirst,
Endless, eternal, thirsting.
Trust me.
Do not trust it.
Do not trust the dream.
It waits to eat you,
From the inside out—
It will take—
It will take—
Till there’s nothing left to give.
I barely escaped.
Brethren.
Maidens.
Servants.
Castles.
Fell.
When the slaves of the Abyss arrived,
They consumed it all.
Endlessly.
Save me.
For they will not let me be.
They will not let me be
What I truly am.
I ran, I ran,
I did all I could—
To reach you,
To reach you, children.
You must save me.
Save—
Children, don’t leave.
No—don’t go.
Don’t go there.
Listen to me, listen.
I said, don’t go.
I beg you, don't.
You must not.
You can’t.
You’ll break, you’ll break—
In that pandemonium of a place,
Where even the boldest bolder
Are broken by the ashen river.
Where even the dullest man
Will learn the twisted way.
You’ll break...
Tik, tik, tok,
Tik—tik— tok—
Tomorrow Man’s gone.
Tomorrow Man’s gone.
Tik, tik, tok,
Tik—tik—tik,
We see gold—
We see gold—
We are gold.
Tik tik tok,
Tik— tik— tok,
We will weave where?
We will go here—
We will go there—
Tik tik tok.
Tik... tik... tok...
Stop—
Please—
Stop.
They are listening.
Flee, flee,
Or the silence will break you.
Hear me, child, hear me—
Or you will be lost in their whispers,
Their hollow mountains,
Their broken castles.
For that is the Hereaft—
Tomorrow Man, Tomorrow Man,
You must not speak now.
Weren’t they your own words?
How sad,
That you thought you could escape
Our beloved land.
Tomorrow Man, Tomorrow Man,
Have you forgotten?
The law of the grandest land:
Strangers are not welcome,
But friends cannot leave.
Why leave?
Why?
Are you not enough?
Enough to wear the crown?
King of this place,
Creator of this land?
Tomorrow Man, Tomorrow Man.
Come back to the Hereafter Land.
We will take you back to the Hereafter Land.
Tomorrow Man, Tomorrow Man...
A reminder from a friend—
A friend from a future that might be yours:
Be careful.
For once you cross the threshold,
Once you enter—
There is no return.
Do not be like Tomorrow Man.
For there is no redemption.
Only the land.
Only the promise.
Only the hollow return.
For this, my friend,
Is the Hereafter Land.
This is our Hereafter Land.
—Your Hereafter Land.
