Patrick James is a young Irish writer from Dublin who recently signed his first book contract. Dark Planet is designed and edited by Lucy A. Snyder. If you spot any errors, or if you have any comments, please contact her at lusnyde@cyberus.ca. All materials copyright 1996-2001 by their respective creators. No stories, articles, poems or images from this webzine may be posted or published without the written consent of their creator(s).

pseudonym by Patrick James When all of a life is a strange betrayal, as cold cocaine lines through squinting eyes, an estranged deceit under countless names but slave to one faith. When the needle marks tattoo the racing heart with the tracks of hurt all time's a soft blur, twisting blood to dirt. Like heroin's teasing kiss the rush is iced water, taken into every thought it fills up every cell- blackening the blindness of its own self-delusions and numb-disbelief stalks every victimised thought, like a pimp at night in alleyways of the mind.