We are born into this world as an undisturbed soft lump of clay, waiting to be moulded into shape. Every single one of us is destined to be moulded into vastly different shapes depending upon the factors that surround us, whether it be the place we are born in or the circumstances and people around us in said place. But at the end of the day, we are nothing more than just the same lump of soft clay, just moulded in different ways. A soft lump of clay is easily moldable. It does not show any resistance to being moulded, for its shape is bound to differ from what it used to be with every single touch. Whichever way a clay is shaped, its form will pleasantly conform to a different shape, just like we humans are prone to change, in our adolescence. As we are slowly moulded into shape, the sun shines a warm, bright light upon us, and we are beguiled by its beauty. Captivated by the alluringly dazzling light, we are drawn to stay under it and steadily hardened over the years. 

 

“Sundown dazzling day

Gold through my eyes

But my eyes turned within

Only see

Starless and bible black”

 

Our eyes are captivated by the golden treasures life seems to offer. The elation we feel towards exploring the wonders of life keeps us under the warm embrace of the dazzling sun. As time passes, the clay that we are is hardened even further, and our bright perception of the world is distorted. We start to come to the realisation that the sunny world we live in does not exact its beauty upon us. Every impact made on us, with the aim of shaping us, inflicts damage upon us, and we can no longer be contorted into a different form. The beguiling perception of the world starts to fall apart as we grow out of our young, naive, and enthusiastic selves. A shadow is cast upon us as the world begins to fade into a starless night. 

 

“Old friend charity

Cruel twisted smile

And the smile signals emptiness

For me

Starless and bible black”

 

No longer is the world that was once bright and laden with gold, for it is consumed entirely by our shadow, cast upon our perception of the world by our hardened soul. Everything that was once pleasant, hopeful, and jovial is now contorted into a harsh, cold, and unsatisfying form. We accept the darkening of the world as we embrace the starless emptiness where anything we reminisce about our past stares at us with a cruel, twisted smile. If we are to search for joy, we are left hopeless, as nothing seems to compel us, for it is all stained by our shadow with bible black.

 

“Ice blue silver sky

Fades into grey

To a grey hope that all yearns

To be

Starless and bible black.”

 

Months, years, and decades pass, and we are poisoned with the passage of time. Our soul squeals in nothingness, trying to reach out to anything that will make us feel like we used to, but all is in vain as our soul falls into complete darkness laden with starless skies. Even the faint lights of stars are out of reach, stained by our descent into hopelessness and nothingness. The worthlessness of our lives dawns on us, and we become fully aware of the approaching cold inevitability of death. Having lived our lives and forgotten the slightest brightness of the world’s wonders, we are filled with regret and eventually, let go of all and embrace our dark shadow within.  

 

Note: The sections in between the paragraphs are the lyrics of “Starless” by King Crimson. The writing is centred around an interpretation of the song. I highly encourage you to give a listen to the song, even though it might not be the easiest to listen to.