From the Shallows of the Mantle

Lost secrets of the earth And reticence from birth Dark sediments and creeping strain Our negligence conveys A function of malaise That overprints our shrouded pain But rising from the mantle Braided phantoms beckoning asternal They speak with tongues twisted In words we can't perceive The flood waters abate, leviathans in wait Their hulking forms of rife despair A monument to this: the damage we dismissed The cenotaphs of scars we bear Rising tides raise all ships and yet provide An upwelling that dredges bones Our violent past and pride enthroned The secrets that we drowned Lashing masses from the fragments of a bygone generation Twisted forms in murky waters sway with spellbound aberration Overgrown with crowns and coral shrouds that stifle what was missed Wreaths of baseless accusations decorate and bind our wrists Their names may be unknown But deep down in our bones They haunt our nights and plague our days Once we pay them mind They detach and resign To float amidst the waves As peninsular graves In discordant chorus, they cry out Their words are alien and shrill Beneath the surface, we discern The ancient dialect they trill You give us form when you give in Armed with our reprieve Denying them the ease To lurk unshrouded marrow deep Descending to the mantle Braided phantoms reckoning eternal They speak with tongues twisted In words we now perceive The flood waters abate, leviathans in wait Their hulking forms of rife despair A monument to this: the damage we dismissed The cenotaphs of scars we bear Rising tides raise all ships and yet provide An upwelling that dredges bones Our violent past and pride enthroned The secrets that we drowned

Submitted by Nargaroth — Jun 19, 2026

No quarter can be given; I am absent in this state A hurricane takes shelter in my form and signs your fate Their souls are liberated and dissected by my hand And all their vessels lay among the driftwood in the sand Was it all in vain? Vertigo from the cliffs as the waves devour what remains I have worn these gloves before Lines in the sand - blurred and trod on The blood on my hands doesn't wash off Riches I claimed - naught but ashes And sorrow untamed flows in surges Heart in hand I step beyond the shore To sit the throne of coral evermore The glow of deadlight spectres pulls me down and deeper still Their fingers round my limbs manipulate me to their will Arms of bloodshot red Countless spires upon its crest Vertigo from the depths as the waves devour what remains I can walk this path no more Lines in the sand - blurred and trod on The blood on my hands doesn't wash off Riches I claimed - naught but ashes And sorrow untamed flows in surges Soul in hand I sleep beyond the shore And sit this throne of coral evermore Briny blood and sea water tesselate My kingdom stretches far beyond where light can penetrate Lines in the sand - blurred and trod on The blood on my hands doesn't wash off Riches I claimed - naught but ashes And sorrow untamed flows in surges Spiritless amidst the weeds I soar My body rules the coral throne once more Keep the vengeance fed With the riches in my chest

Submitted by Nargaroth — Jun 19, 2026

You said you'd be there at the end The doubt creeps in again I could have sworn I've heard those words before Now, a missive of my flaws And though I'm trying hard The version of me known by you is strong Thrall to my mind 'Cause it's not a lack of faith or pride But something broken deep inside Fall to the sword Lest you face the slings and dogs of war That only aim to batter at your doors But the show must go on Words fly but gain no ground I'll wear my heart on my sleeve for now Stolen valour worth my weight in gold But to pay the piper I've spent it all Navigating through disaster Only then I'll have the chance to say I'm worth my salt Tethered to the unseen masters Grasping chains of all my past mistakes I'm worth my salt Then like clockwork, you'll return The kinship that was burned Was not the source of pain afflicting you Casting dignity aside With hindsight as your guide You push the olive branch right through my palm Fuel for the fire Splintered kindling of my agency There's nothing truly broken inside me But the road goes ever on Words fly but gain no ground I'll wear my heart on my sleeve for now Stolen valour worth my weight in gold But to pay the piper I've spent it all Navigating through disaster Only then I'll have the chance to say I'm worth my salt Tethered to the unseen masters Grasping chains of all my past mistakes I'm worth my salt I've lacked the will to be An advocate for me Against the grain of my intent The cycle will begin again But I can't dwell on what won't change I will walk this road again Words fly but gain no ground I'll wear my heart on my sleeve for now Stolen valour worth my weight in gold But to pay the piper I've spent it all Navigating through disaster Only then I'll have the chance to say I'm worth my salt Tethered to the unseen masters Grasping chains of all my past mistakes I'm worth my salt I've lacked the will to be An advocate for me I've lacked the strength to say I'm worth my salt But that all ends today Though waters churn unseen I'm worth my salt Your conscience can be clean

Submitted by Nargaroth — Jun 19, 2026

My armour to preserve One more to calm the nerves before I try to seize the day (If I could concentrate) The hours turn to weeks And when I self-critique it shifts Into storm clouds of shame But we know who's to blame My shackles are my own design With my eyes now to the sky Drifting aimless upon this tranquil course I am swaying in this sea Of swirling paint that's remodeling me These shackles hold nothing My roots provided strength, stability But now I drift irresolute in reverie My former life was mired in greed, ensconced in pain This spiritual migration severs me Coat memories with shades of veneer To insulate and then persevere On canvasses that stretch 'cross the sea We orchestrate this sham symphony These shackles are paper ties With my fire now in the sky Burning reckless and sowing scraps of me To the corners of the earth Banishing promises, vanishing process, and stoking embers I am the architect of dreams My roots provided strength, stability (But there's nobody there) But now I drift irresolute in reverie (To bring me up for air) My former life was mired in greed, ensconced in pain This spiritual migration severs me

Submitted by Nargaroth — Jun 19, 2026

Sit and warm up by the fire The room may be drafty But there's always space at the hearth Pour a glass of wine 'Cause sharing with guests Under winter skies brings us to life Pile up the ashes that fall from the sky Trade them for riches when coffers run dry Carve out a pound of your tenderest self The burden of vulnerability paid with your health Fall in, fall out Rise to the challenge but never make a stand The roots run deep So toe the line and pour the wine And kick up those weary legs to sleep Ooh when the shadows surge and the stars emerge And the milky way envelops me I am glad you share this vision Here by my side I can digest your epithet But the precedent is set Try to heed what's decreed But I'm overpowered I know the name of this game But the rules have all changed And the cast list reflects How the tables have turned Too cowardly to take a stand Relinquishing my upper hand But I've learned to never tie my worth To the order of my birth I am falling out of favour now And you're masking holier-than-thou But I still have my self-respect And though it hurts I could never accuse you of willful neglect Though I have wept I must accept When I have lost and I'm outstepped When heels keep digging in the ground I've made a choice to stop my voice From ringing truths; there is no use When heads are buried in the sand Grab a volume from the shelf The pages are dusty But edges still hunger for blood Now revel in our wealth Remember how lucky we made you Compared to the rest Rise to the challenge but never make a stand The roots run deep So toe the line and pour the wine And kick up those weary legs Though I've sworn that I'll never slip again The boundaries creep I've made my bed, and I'll see red But I cannot ever make that leap

Submitted by Nargaroth — Jun 19, 2026

Once more I find myself holding the line Most days I manage by biding my time But surely this house of cards will soon fall down When I let myself exhale Once more I find myself holding that torch The bitter memories erupt like spores From the deep parts of me I keep locked tight How they shudder in the light I am not who I claim to be Impersonating so brazenly Soon you'll see through my plain charade Foundation crumbling virtue betrayed Gaze to the fields of the fallen Countless gone everyone Cave to the fear and the sonder And then step up to the stage I will take the reigns by your command Holding course by sleight of hand I've always been a stowaway So they have claimed Alone on the coach I am thriving Discarding the thought There is someone in my brain That is driving me Crashing aground The road has rent and the rank-and-file run down Tolling the hounds The roiling rush of the river rusts my crown Once more I'm clandestine feigning rapport When cloak-and-dagger work yields nothing more Than all the silken threads that have sprung forth From aristocratic mouths I am my own greatest enemy Self-sabotaging effortlessly Loosen my noose for it's time for me To step up upon the stage I will take the reigns by your command Holding course by sleight of hand I've always been a stowaway So they have claimed Alone on the coach I am thriving Discarding the thought There is someone in my brain That is driving me This feeling I'm beholden to prevails It validates my venom when I fail

Submitted by Nargaroth — Jun 19, 2026

Here at my journey's end I reminisce with pride And though there are no witnesses I know that when my bones grow moss My kin will know my name My wanderlust is sated all the same My discordia My pain and my euphoria Pave the passage to The embrace of the bounding main Many years I've travelled Through the droughts and storms Though the wind bites bitter My old heart is warm For the deeds I accomplished Through blood and sweat And spirit rendered bare Have been nailed to the mantle I ride by shank's mare This mute ascendancy has made it all worthwhile For there can be no triumph without trial I'm conquering The ancient way of things Imparting consequence Within my own two hands Many years I've travelled Through the droughts and storms Though the wind bites bitter My old heart is warm For the deeds I accomplished Through blood and sweat And spirit rendered bare Have been nailed to the mantle I ride by shank's mare And with the change of season Intrusive thoughts loomed over me But all my doubts dissolved in the glory of the sea I've given back the valour I have no banners on my chest But I could never claim I lived a life bereft See that my walls have fallen down And errant footfalls make no sound I have no longing for a faultless legacy I have been ceaselessly enthralled So with my final curtain call I am enraptured with ovation and acclaim I set off in motion with a single step I have found fulfillment and joy and depth Many years I've travelled Through the droughts and storms Though the wind bites bitter My old heart stays warm For the deeds I accomplished Through blood and sweat And spirit rendered bare Have been nailed to the mantle I ride by shank's mare

Submitted by Nargaroth — Jun 19, 2026

Raining, draining To the sea Waiting, waning Come to me Captivate and permeate Your almond eyes encapsulate A life of otherworldly pleasures that intoxicate Nevermore my hope restored You're hiding on the ocean floor I'll wait a lifetime for the moment That you wash ashore again A call on the air Their hymns will draw you home The salt in your hair Reminds me of where you're from If you beckon me I will drink up all the sea And follow you into the deep My lungs are assailed And my skin becomes scale It has come to this My metamorphosis Breeching, screeching Hold fast Hovering with hands unclasped You're drifting just beyond my grasp The gasp that slips my lips A declaration of my trespass The song in your heart Is resonating In my counterpart And we're calibrating Your lullaby trills And I drift to sleep Wrapped in the chill Of your black rapture Years go by and I've discerned The more I know the less I've learned The masses clutching to the coil Are prisoners to flesh and soil My conscience clean, I'm not concerned If I have left this stone unturned The dark domain beneath my fins Is cerulean Bowing to the urge Of your otherworldly dirge Persuading me to tracts submerged If I had a voice I'd be muted by choice Deep in your abyss My metamorphosis The melody fades The pressure closing in To my dismay I greet it like kin Whoa The die are cast, I understand These hands will never touch dry land The embers burn inside my soul My throat is caught but heart is full Embraced we stay as time unwinds Our destinies are intertwined I'm weightless in the ebb and flow Suspended in the counterglow with you

Submitted by Nargaroth — Jun 19, 2026

The ghost of the evening shanty fades As dawn's fingers grasp the sand Ten years have passed And the thought remains This day would come for us But death comes as a friend Take no meaning from the coins on my eyes The hands that placed them pay for passage, sure Just not for mine Silver laid upon my tongue A lingering flavor Or a reputation yet to come This stretch of coast This tranquil morn Is where it ends Come and stroll along the strand I have a legacy to burn And thirst that quenches for no man Bonds break like the waves that crash on me I'll take this chance to Savour my last glance toward the sea Don't mourn The embers on our shore Fading in the light (The ashes tell the lore) The threads of gold That are woven through my bones Tell my tale just fine (Voices lost within the roar) Take up lengths of cloth to bind my arms I'll land someplace where overreaching Does no further harm Carve my likeness into stone And marvel at my stoic wisdom Now that I have gone The sun is low But I have worked to make amends Stay a moment longer still I'm only to my waist But these waters give me such a chill My consciousness splits into two As I stand at the threshold and reach through Our fingers and souls intertwine Our instincts and knowledge combined The distant figures call my name! Don't mourn The embers on our shore Fading in the light (The ashes tell the lore) The threads of gold That are woven through my bones Tell my tale just fine (Voices lost within the roar) Dawn breaks on the mirrored shore And I'm waking from sleep My new path leads to where the sun Sets in the East My memories blend in the sand And fade as they pour from my hand Blank canvas to the other sea As bargained by my servant's fee One spark Can grow to something more With a breath of life Not blown in spite Don't mourn The embers on our shore Fading in the light (The ashes tell the lore) The threads of gold That are woven through my bones Tell my tale just fine (Voices lost within the roar) Don't mourn The embers on our shore Fading in the light (The ashes tell the lore) The threads of gold That are woven through my bones Tell my tale just fine (We are lost within the roar)

Submitted by Nargaroth — Jun 19, 2026