---

Oh we are the lifetakers, absolved

We are the collectors of desperate children

We are the in-between hours,

The gray minutes, the waiting, the falling...

Yours is empty laughter

Yours is the rictus grin

Yours is the prison of the self, the soul

A world of infinite reflections, all despised

We are the liberators, forever holy

We are the agents of corruption,

Dissolution, decay, reality, venom flowing

Life in death, lifegivers

Death in life, lifetaker

Oh, die with a smile on your face

Die utterly alone, afraid of the dark

Die cursed, torn and excoriated

Die in perfect health, blessed, full of joy

Yours is the smug satisfaction

Yours is the life-affirming orgasm

Yours is the pretty wisdom, the infant's breath

The dying alone is ours (we'll take it from you)

The loss and loneliness are ours

The lives without love are ours

We are the lifetakers

Die, we're waiting for you

die