in the white moonlight
the cat’s shadow leaps away
–but where is the cat?
—–
Don’t forget to check out Monster Masquerade.
floating and leaving no trace
in the white moonlight
the cat’s shadow leaps away
–but where is the cat?
—–
Don’t forget to check out Monster Masquerade.
the sheet may as well
be made of lead
heavy and hot
and my limbs won’t move
.
in the dark
only my eyes travel
tracing a flicker
of lights cast by the clock
against the ceiling
.
but with lights
come the shadows
here a hand
there a sharp profile
almost human
.
and always the sound
of heavy breathing
and the weight of the sheet
.
sweat slicks my forehead
my head refuses to turn
from side to side
only my eyes obey
and at the side of the bed
in the shadows
something darker
something breathing
that doesn’t have lungs
—–
Check out Monster Masquerade from Poet Rummager. Hat tip to Elusive Trope for bringing it to my attention.
in the dark the whispers come
a scratching at the skull
from the inside
tickling the skin
but below the skin
like a tingling nerve
after the lightning strike
no amount of scratching on the scalp
can ease the irritation
and the tingling travels
down the spine and deadens the legs
turns the stomach and the guts
to ice water
the lights flicker
or is it your vision
and the whispers
stop
a mercy
until you hear the doorknob turn
and the creak of the floorboards
as the weight of feet announces
an approaching, unseen visitor
sitting and watching
her stomach rises and falls
–all the birds take flight
message
empty bottle
the paper an old map
faded now, x marking the spot
promise
taking a deep breath–
the crickets think it’s summer
in the dark, cars drive
the sedge can wither
and the lake can recede
to reveal the bones of men
and fish
and the pale faces of kings
and knights can loom in the gloam
and warn
but no one will listen
and we’ll all sit atop the sedge
and we’ll all wither too
and no fairy’s song will wake us
these shoes hurt my feet
though there was little walking
still it seems too much distance
had been covered in too little time
not to say that things were rushed
or that the scenery went by
unappreciated
but the ache is there
starting in the arches and
aching in the ball joints
all the way across the bottom
and they throb when i take a moment
to sit and reflect
and my soul throbs too
not a heartbeat so much
as the ticking of a clock
and you can’t lay blame on the shoes
she drops the clay
on the wheel
at first
it spins
and rolls,
bouncing off the low rim
that encircles the potting wheel
reduces speed
tries again
and it cooperates
sticks to the center
like it knows
and it is soon
a shallow bowl
fit for decoration
and the kiln
saving the spider
when he crawls over my hand
–dropped and abandoned