Old Turtle Shell

minutes bleed like hours
as I grow old for the truth
fail like I always have
Failure: Me

I am an old turtle shell, rotting inside
change you can believe in
guillotined my life, now I'm here
hollow, contingent upon Her song
Siren lures me close then throws me on the rocks
Melodies take a titanic toll on my soul
moral from the lips of the beholder

those ancient icicles on the ceiling, drip as hell arrives
falling, one by one, no reason to dodge the destruction
if the loneliest number becomes reality

remember the education factory? remember no self-worth?
do you remember crying in the slide, alone? I do.
Do you remember creating friends because you were the plague?
I do.

After quitting the factory, flames crept close
but I managed to escape

I knew they would return, as they always do.
The old familiar stink of my shell, if only it were hollow
but it's filled with regret, and the wrong choices.
factory fumes still familiar, infect my shell
"Welcome my son, welcome to the machine."

bleeding thoughts, am I capable?
If I did, would I regret it or lose the last of myself?