Poem 20151025

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.

Poem 20151024

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

Poem 20151019

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

Poem 20151018

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