Glasses perched low across a crooked noseHis somber eyes rarely liftedInstead, they grazed over catalogsDark ink spilling over themHis hunch, deep, unmovingAs he pored over texts of the pastWhile his arched skeletal handsDrew volumes from their shelvesHe climbed down from his step ladderMiniscule against his towering shelvesClicking against the linoleumIn tidy polished shoesHis brown shirt, tucked into slacksSleeves rolled for slender forearmsThat hauled the doors open each morningHe tsked at the slightest disturbanceGazing disapprovingly at those who whisperedIn his sacred sanctuaryAnd when his brown eyes did meetThey shone and they sparkledWith boundless knowledgeWith a million stories untoldEyes of wisdom, of […]
Like in the Books
I wake up to birdsongunder duvets of fine cottonStaring at the blue skyIn nightgowns of silk and chartreuseLike in the books of royalty- I pick up strawberries from untouched fieldsMy dress cupped under berriesTo be spread as jam over bites of sweet toastTo feed to the nymphs and fairiesLike in the books of woodland fairies- I hunt through old boughs and willowsTristing through the briars as I runTo the secret place that the world doesn’t knowOf hollowed caves and forest clearingsLike in the books of adventure- The trees whisper to me in secretDotting the floor with dappled sunlightSparkling with rays […]
Look and See
“Look!” they whisper “Can’t you see?”She cannotShe sees everyday life, normal lifeShe sees trees that sway in the breezeShe sees paved roads and grass growing in sidewalk cracksShe sees brick walls and slate roofsShe sees birds in their nests, she sees dogs with ownersShe shakes her head “Closer” they whisper “You must see deep”But she now notices what’s differentShe sees pained expressions as they limp down the streetShe she leaves falling off of dying branchesShe sees children trip over the sidewalkShe sees plaster that cracks and flakes awaySlabs of roof that slide and clink with rattling windShe sees birds scream […]
The Other Road
One step, two steps, on the straight road.Past the forest, who dancedPast the ocean, who bubbledPast the fields, who rustledOne step, two steps, on the straight roadTo something mysteriousTo something unknownTo something different than beforeOne step, two steps, on the straight roadUntil it breaksUntil it is no longer straightUntil the road is twoOne step, two steps, on the straight roadWondering where to turnWondering where to goWondering where I’ll beOne step, two steps, on the straight roadIgnoring the other pathIgnoring the chilled whispersIgnoring the darkness creeping inStopping, stopping on the straight roadRunning away from the endRunning on the shifting stonesRunning to […]
The Gardener
When the clock struck 12And the noon sun glimmeredThe creaky gate would openAnd I would see a manOld and witheredHunched and smallWho fiddled with the lock on the doorWith his head held down, he would give my the keyThen he picked up the hoseAnd one by oneCarefullyHe drenched the gardenTill the leaves shone in the lightAnd the petals so delicateShook with beads of water.He tended to the weedsRipping and tearingUntil the garden grew crisp and free.Then he raked all the leavesAnd pushed all the soil.He turned to meSo I nodded and smiledAnd the gardener leftWhen the clock struck 1.
Wishing Star
Black sea of darknessDusky sky of nightSilent hour of witchingWhere the moon shines bright.Twinkling ball of fireBlinking star of nightCosmic wonders of spaceWinking down at me.Uninterrupted beams of lightRefracted glass of windowFiltered night of starry skyAnd my eyes will not shut.Shining crescent of moonAmongst black of nightOne star of twilightGuiding me to sleep.
Window Frost
Blinking eyes at twilight see the windowSlowly fog.The lights of the night cityDisappearing.For those same eyes wake upTo no sunStreaming through the window.But frosted glassIcy and wet.Delicate beads of water condensedClinging together.Till little fingers meltIt on the windowsDrawing smiles and trees and curlicues.Water now slowly dripping downIn small rivers.And she sees the worldIn streams of frost and glassAnd she watches the sunBreak through the cloudsAnd melt the frost away.And then begins the waitFor frosted glassOnce again.
Doors (whispers)
She could feel the whisperingAnd the shivers that slowly crept up her spineIts icy tendrils were only so far awayScreaming for her to be imprisonedBeneath suffocating pressure like the rest So, she ran through the darkPounding feet against the stone floorUntil finallyShe sees saw a door looming far awayDimly lit by two flickering candlesHovering above the floorIlluminating the brown wooden doorGlowing, beckoning to come throughSo, she wrenches open the door and throws herselfInto a room of just more blackBut she can hear the whispering. So, she runsUntil finallyShe sees another doorBegging her to rip off it off its hingests wingsAnd […]
Hallucination
We walk in unisonOur arms swinging by our side, hand in handWe laugh and we smileShe runs along the road, and I sprint behindShe stops for the incomingWho walk past like she’s invisibleStepping on her feet, knocking her downLike they cannot see herCan’t see her head of brown curlsCan’t see her stick-thin bodyCan’t see her large amber eyesThat stare only at me as everyone trudges aheadAnd when they all leaveShe runs back into my armsWhispering about how the only eyes she cares about Is mineAnd she is only special to meSo, we walk in unisonAnd I shield her from the rest […]
Fire
It was tiny.Just a spark,A dancing tongue of red and yellow,And all the colors in betweenIt crackles and snapsOnce hereNow thereFlickering with the change of wind.It lit the light for humans,Sparkling, not only an infernoBut a trail blazeSparking rebellionA tool used for warSelf-destructionAnd more.Once a mere lampCasting shadows on the wallOnce only a light sourceWhich Shere Khan detested.Once a feasterDevouring landscapesOnce a source of warmthFor the frozen toesOn wintery nightsWhen the wind was low And the trees creakWe’d call for its protectionOnce again.Comforted by its warmth And lightAnd it staysLicking the skyReaching outWith its flamesTowards spaceWhere its ever-changing formIs welcomeFound in the […]
The song of the tree
Her branches quiverSoft leaves floating on the running windSlivers of sunlight scatteredI sit at her feetRough roots that vein through the dirtI wait for her songSlow and unsure at firstA soft tune with cracking notesAs she sways to her own beatThe birds fly to listenAnd she sings louderThe river roaring by her sideMy head resting on her cut dead familyTears stream through her broken wordsRinging cold and trueThrough the rocky party of forbidden woodsAs the flowers open to sad musicAnd it is goneThe forest hangs in silenceAnd I sit at her feetWaiting for her song.Can you hear it?
