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JerryPat2
Member Laureate
since 2011-02-06
Posts 16975
South Louisiana

0 posted 2017-04-05 11:01 AM



Raucous laughter issued from Wickedness,
Which was hidden wherever Wickedness secretes itself.
The traveler cringed,
he'd heard the insidious laughter before,
but Wickedness has never yet showed its face.
Coward.
Instead it played evil games inside his mind.
The traveler vaguely realized why
Wickedness could never be seen;
because a part of it
resided inside of each of us.
The rather strange road he walked was familiar
in an obscure, unfamiliar way.
Since early this morning,
or was it yesterday morning,
oh, no matter.
Since he'd found himself on this dusty road he recognized certain . . . things.
Nothing he could put his finger on and say,

I remember this from . . .

No.
Nothing like that.
Still, there were surreal qualities,
certain things which defied definition.
Things observed he'd never seen before.
Why then, did he know what they were?
Like the Broken Heart baking in the August heat.
Was it his?
Or some other unfortunate traveler
who had passed this way before?
The Broken Heart
was not like the Valentine Day pretty heart,
drawn so nice and neat.
No.
This heart was real
lying alongside the road,
dirty, dried blood all around it.
This heart was alive and making strong,
thump, thump-thumping sounds
reverberating inside his head
nearly causing him to lose what little sanity
he was holding onto.
Once he attempted to cover up the Broken Heart,
if only to mute its sound.
He had nothing to place over it.
If he had been wearing a shirt
he'd have used that.
but he wasn't wearing one.
He wasn't wearing anything.
He shivered.
It was approaching nighttime;
he recalled it had gotten quite cold last night.
The traveler began to trudge slowly down the road,
shelter on his mind.
Soon he came upon a wooden bridge
over raging, foaming rapids.
He stopped,
fearful of crossing the bridge.
He took a tentative step.
The bridge creaked,
gave somewhat with his weight.
Another step.
Groans from the timber.
He froze.
After a deep breath he took five very quick steps,
was almost in the middle of the bridge
when he heard the most bizarre sounds.

©February 12, 2017 / Jerry Pat Bolton

~ If they give you ruled paper, write sideways. ~

© Copyright 2017 Jerry Pat Bolton - All Rights Reserved
P.U Stinkenbaum
Member
Posts 388
No Fan Of Exhaust Fans
1 posted 2017-04-05 12:24 PM


As I read 'Part Two' I read within the content, "The rather strange road he walked was familiar in an obscure, unfamiliar way", and I saw only the oxymoronic twist.
So I stopped and re-read it and it came much more to life to me like a deja vu moment, only instead of a place, it was a unfamiliar feeling that I'd 'felt' before.

This work of yours Mr. Bolton, takes the reader along with "The Traveler" in a whirlwind of mystery and surrealism. Keep 'em comin'!  


Pass the Glade if you're going to do that here...

JerryPat2
Member Laureate
since 2011-02-06
Posts 16975
South Louisiana
2 posted 2017-04-05 12:29 PM


Sending many, many thanks, P.U. I am overjoyed and happy you continue to like my "The Traveler" series. Hope I can continue to hold your interest . . . Three more to go.

~ If they give you ruled paper, write sideways. ~

P.U Stinkenbaum
Member
Posts 388
No Fan Of Exhaust Fans
3 posted 2017-04-05 12:32 PM


That's great! But you better hurry! That bridge could go at any minute!

Pass the Glade if you're going to do that here...

Lori Grosser Rhoden
Member Patricius
since 2009-10-10
Posts 10202
Fair to middlin' of nowhere
4 posted 2017-04-08 07:21 AM


just waiting for you to finish your series to start reading this fascinating tale ~L  
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