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jwesley
Member Rara Avis
since 2000-04-30
Posts 7563
Spring, Texas

0 posted 2000-07-28 11:12 PM


Darkness - No Sound At All

Darkness -
all around me,
darkness,
no sound at all.
I listen
intently;
hear nothing,
take a deeper breath,
force it through tightly
closed lips;

I hear -
nothing.

I raise -
my hand;
to my nose,
my mouth,
blow upon it;

feel -
nothing.

I start -
to scream;
stop
when I realize
it'll never be heard,
not even
by myself.

Then -
far in the distance,
I see a light,
dim,
barely there,
brighter now,
spreading.

Now -
I see metal
below the light;
I see the steel bars
of a cattle guard;
they turn to rails,
on cross ties;

I look up -
the light
is screaming
in my eyes,
but I'm frozen,
can't move…

then -
I dive
between the tracks,
blending with the
rocks,
and wooden
cross ties,
trying to hear
the clickity-clackity
of the wheels
going by,
in the darkness,
now complete.

I squeeze -
my eyes
tightly shut;
I hear nothing;
see nothing;
feel nothing;
I sleep.

I awake -
shivering
ever so slightly,
in the cold,
cold air.

I open -
my eyes;
whiteness surrounds me,
and I'm lying
on my back,
hands crossed,
on my chest.

Slowly -
I reach
for the whiteness,
find a sheet,
and wonder…
a sheet,
what am I doing
under a sheet.

I hear -
footsteps
a mumbling voice.

The footsteps -
get closer,
the mumbling
becomes words;

I hear -
"and this is our morgue…
just a minute please,
let me close
this tray."

I  feel -
myself slide
gently back,
a latch clicks,
and I scream;
and I scream!

Darkness -
all around me,
darkness,
no sound at all.
I listen
intently;
hear nothing,
take a deeper breath,
force it through tightly
closed lips;

I hear -
nothing.


W. James Beard, Jr.


© Copyright 2000 Wesley James Beard, Jr. - All Rights Reserved
bluebrdy65
Member
since 2000-05-16
Posts 276
Gladys,
1 posted 2000-07-29 05:01 AM


Oh how scary and sad
good work though
keep it up
Blue

Portia
Member
since 2000-05-18
Posts 157

2 posted 2000-07-29 07:18 AM


Terrifying-- this gave me chills. That concept of not being able to move or scream is so prevalent in dreams.

take a deeper breath,
force it through tightly
closed lips

I loved the repetition of these lines; they added an even more surreal quality to the poem.

"And one day...the whole stinking world would be theirs..."
-- Velvet Goldmine (Todd Haynes, Oscar Wilde and, unofficially, David Bowie)

Deborah1
Senior Member
since 2000-06-22
Posts 653
New Hampshire
3 posted 2000-07-29 08:25 AM


This was very chilling, a good job though!! I have felt paralyzed in dreams before...just awful!! Hope to see more

The fragrance always stays in the hand that gives the rose...--Hada Bejar

Deborah1
Senior Member
since 2000-06-22
Posts 653
New Hampshire
4 posted 2000-07-29 08:28 AM


This was very chilling, a good job though!! I have felt paralyzed in dreams before...just awful!! Hope to see more

The fragrance always stays in the hand that gives the rose...--Hada Bejar

Lynne Dale
Member
since 2000-07-18
Posts 114
Melbourne Victoria
5 posted 2000-07-29 08:30 AM


This is a scary and chilling poem the stuff nightmares are made of.
Good work.
Kethry

Kethry.
When dark of night steals your soul. Think of me and be made whole.


jwesley
Member Rara Avis
since 2000-04-30
Posts 7563
Spring, Texas
6 posted 2000-07-29 12:11 PM


Gee, I'm surprise anybody had any thing decent to say about these (this and Nothing But My Thoughts)- they were both written way back around '64 (whew!), and I was weeding out some old papers and came across this stuff from back then and thought I'd post it for the heck of it before tossing it.  Got more I may do the same with. These are wayyyy down my list of personally written favorites.

But thanks, I really appreciate your time and comments. And BTW, don't ever be shy of expressing negative thoughts on any of my writings - I would like to know truthful feelings rather than flowery feel goods. (not that I have a thing against "feel goods"!)

walk easy...


jwesley

lotharingia
Senior Member
since 2000-06-04
Posts 897
saarbruecken, Germany
7 posted 2000-07-29 12:41 PM


This really gave me goose pimples too!
Who cares if it's an old one? It's top notch anyway!


Lotharingia
"Dreams are life, reality, creation" Miguel de Unanumo



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