Bland Lake Road

The air was thick with words unspoken.
So much so no idle man nor bastard child
Slept with bellies gaunt and tear drops woven,
But instead distended with vindictive thoughts,
Curdled minds wrought putrid rot.  

There was no tower, no knights no swirling gowns
No flaming dragons, spelling wizards or cronish witches.
No blessed saints nor hopeless sinners
Walked among the huddles masses.

Sing song spots of salacious sunshine swept away bruising bites bade by bitter beasts.
Until clandestine claws carved carcass sails,
Splintering shards from stem to stern.
Dashing dreams dared to be dreamed to deeper, darker depths.

Fluffy, wild bouquets masquerade as small trees
Scratch and scent dark protective hidden corners.
Natural walls built to hide cherubesque gingers layered with dirt and grass and joys of adolescence,
Though found with tear streaked faces and shoes worn thin
Hiding from monsters in sheep skin.

Soggy dirt and sighing leaves breathe earthy fragrance in the air
Only second in beauty to skies scorched by setting sun.
Frog choirs with cricket strings burst forth in harmony
Against gentle percussions of rustling leaves and splashing sprinkling streams.
Promises of life and hope for more tomorrows in each tiny drop.

Lazy lavender clouds lay heaped upon the horizon,
Discarded piles of laundry laid to waste against violent pink hues,
Burning through a sleepy periwinkle haze.
Cotton candy pink against love licked poison.

Fleeting reprieve comes in the hope of life beyond the gates,
Beyond the reach of talons and growls,
Beyond the wild walls and sodden grounds.
The louder crunch of gravel,
The hum of something new,
Escape is that much closer
Within frantic grasps toward something
Whispered just out of reach.

Forgotten are those left to rest among the trees.
Resting practice of the finality of death.
Without knowing what is next.
If something is next.
Why it’s believed there is a next.
As the new day breaks just over that ridge
Lined with oak and pine.
A jagged line juts dark and deep.
Pining away we are left
Frantically grasping at something
Forever just out of reach.