I had a dream last night That haunted me through jaws clenched tight
Black suit with derby I wore, Dark gray skies…..behind me, the shore
The large raucous waves bent on destruction, Rocks to sand…
is clearly its intention
Before me… a colorless scene, sand to street…waves to city
Of all cities this one, the most… I pity
Drab store fronts and concrete walls, there are no people within lining its halls
Of all the windows and all the doors no lights on…minus one…but no more
This lone lamp, the darkness, it shines through
Is calling me like a beacon, of which I knew
That although its light shines purposeful and bright
Comfort will not be something it provides for me tonight
Above a stout and sturdy door, this lamp sat summoning me to it, but I do not want that!
But, as if of their own accord my traitorous feet began to creep forward
I look down at my disloyal appendages wondering why it hurt when street and feet meet
No socks or shoes did I have on they are as bare as the day I was born on
No matter though, my feet continued to tread regardless of the orders coming from my head
Towards this lamp and towards this door further and further away from the shore
Closer and closer I come to my forced destination as if spurred on by divination
Up the steps one, two and three…
The cracked and coarse door is now before me
My hand moves forward… inside it a key
Tarnished brass, heavy and thick
Into the lock, tumblers drop… click… click… click
The door groaned loudly like a cranky old man
Opening slowly wider, I stepped right in
I get a feeling of overwhelming doom
Intuitively I know I am not the only one in the room
I look about searching for the unseen presence
My pupils enlarge and my muscles grew tense
I see three dusty skeletons lying prone
I stop moving, breathing, still as a stone
I hear percussion… a beating … a rapping that sounds like tin
The hairs stand up straight off my skin
The figures begin to shake and shiver raising off the floor with a rousting quiver
Their hollow eyes gazed at me knowingly
And they began to move to the beating rhythmically
As I watch the skeletons prance I become familiar with the jig they dance
It’s a dance I’ve seen before choreographed upon the devil’s dance floor
Then with light hearted big ole grins they begin to narrate all my sins
“Lie cheat lust and steal never holding true to any deal
Thinking Grace is only something to fall from
Forcing your red beating heart to go numb”
As I watch them dance and sing I began to notice something
With a quizzical cant of my head I begin to analyze this picture of dread
How they are able to speak so eloquently without anything to help them vocally
Bleach white bones moving about sans ligaments tendons leaves little doubt
That this macabre vaudeville enactment is meant for me and they will mean what they meant
I notice that although this seems so dire I am not yet buried deep in the mire
I ask, “Why do you sing and dance so happily about these sins you prosed so cleverly?”
In unison they all chimed in,
“You have yet to become entangled in the worst of all sin.”
“What is the worst of all sin?!” I shout curious to know what they are talking about
They just continued in this morose ballet, singing and dancing as if at play
Laughing at the knives of anxiety driven into my back
Obviously aware that patience is something I lack
I waited painfully for the come what may
Do I run or do I continue to stay?
“That is the sin of giving in”
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Tags: dance, dream, life, poetry, skeleton