Back, Behind The Mask

Oftentimes, I feel as if I live behind a mask, one made from all those things which obscure the things that lie behind. I feel as though my heart would break at the very sight of my own face, not to mention those of others. My mind is addled, rife with holes, ripped apart and sewn back together time and time again with each passing day that feels like a year. It is not even two o’clock yet. I am told that time goes faster as you age but my own experience has been one of aching deceleration; my sense of time continues to slow down. Each passing second threatens to become a lifetime, lest I find some way to lose myself. A devastating cycle, truly. Without further ado…


Back, Behind The Mask

There,

in darkness abounds

on that far side of the moon

a face from brass

and eyes from glass,

and in this face

one might see

something seldom seen

in reflections past.

Lights that pass

betwixt the stars

time and time again,

illuminating

and

elucidating

those things

so seldom seen

in times that have passed.

Entombed by iron in steely visage,

behind this mask lies an unspeakable image.

Every garbled word

and metal clang

belies a gentle soul

caged and shackled

in alloys unkind.

Spiders Dare Not Spin Their Webs

It’s a rainy day today. I hope everyone is staying warm and dry. One hell of a season, this winter. One minute cold, next minute less cold but also wet. When will I be able to wear one outfit the whole day without changing? No one may know. Without further ado, please enjoy.


Spiders Dare Not Spin Their Webs

Teardrops fall

on an aged turntable,

one that creaks and winces

at every drop.

Once upon a time,

its exquisite design

and joyous notes

filled halls with envious glances

and raucous applause.

Gilded then,

much like the age,

in silver and gold

now tarnished and old.

Like porcelain and glass,

now precious vinyl degrades

as its uses and users too fade.

I remain by its side,

this sweet and beautiful turntable,

until the drips form stalactites

and I myself subside.

An American Dream, Almost Forgotten

Blood-soaked visages and fetid rags fill the space before my eyes. You would have me believe that it’s all according to plan? The blunt-force trauma, the brain damage, the bleeding belly-wound that signals a final turn into the worst possible outcomes… How do you justify it all? How does it sit with you? In rusted manacles and filthy, putrid trousers sits the man, the woman, the Geist. Hardened hearts bely broken minds and haggard breaths, the death throes of a bygone era. Will the builders and the founders save us from staggering one-legged into the apocalypse? I shall await forever those things promised to me in my youth. We’ve all the time in the world.


An American Dream, Almost Forgotten

Lying there

staring out the window

look at things you cannot see.

Those little pictures in your head

reflected in the eyes atop your face.

Not broken,

but whole.

Down below

in streets unclean

where windows break

and saxophones wake

perhaps the eyes atop your face

would find themselves adrift

in one foreign little place.

I only wish,

come hell or high water,

that there upon that street

will your eyes not come to rest

for I wish a different future,

with a fair sight fewer sutures.

Fly, fly, fly

little bird.

It’s time to fly away

right on out the window.

The world awaits

your tired little eyes.

Reternal

Good morning, everyone. I have an interesting post-finals week poem for you. I do sincerely hope you enjoy. Without further ado:


Arisen

Ten white horses buck the trend

and at rainbow’s edge find their end.

“I was looking for gold,” he had said,

now all was lost and he was old.

There never was a pot of gold,

there, at the edge of the rainbow.

Only dust and mist

and things you might have missed.

Ten white horses round the bend

and find a place where they can send

a message back to the lands of men.

“Do not follow,” spoke the cadre, in unison,

“The world in here is one most hollow,” contends the ghostly troupe.

“We’ll not be back in time for soup.”

Soot and soil,

there again.

Fire’s out.

The charcoal turns to ash again.

Can never find my flint and steel…

There it was, just by the reel.

Now it’s all to ash and soot,

buried in the soil.

Drink the water,

make sure to boil.

Ten dark horsemen rise from the boneyard.

“It’s time,” they whisper, as if to a lover.

It’s the horsemen’s turn to play a card.

You’ll be lucky

if you are smothered.

Falling Into Sleep

Good morning, everyone. Publishing another poem today. Who would’ve guessed? Today’s focus is on difficulty sleeping. Feel free to leave a comment with your experiences! I love hearing from you all. Without further ado…


Falling Into Sleep

That low and weary head

filled with all those lively things

that preclude me from my place in bed.

Sleeping doesn’t feel right.

Back and forth I’ve tossed

as shadows bark and bite.

Must I always be so lost?

I am in the forest again,

always searching,

never finding;

perhaps it’ll be this time, then?

The crunch of leaves underfoot

fills my ears,

from the fires in the distance

comes the soot.

So comes the ash

turning trees to cinder

and brush to tinder

while the dark alights upon my sash.

It feels as though I have a rash…