The rain and wind moan.
In a streetlight orange glow
Pepper trees twist, bend;
Leaves glisten and hang,
Condemned miscreants.
Predawn night seeps in my bones,
Grounds warblers’ wings and songs.
My comfort zone shuts me out…
In dripping cold of frozen blue
Disgusting hands squeeze my chest.
Ghosts and ghouls pour out of drawers;
Hungry furies crawl up the sheets;
Slimy copper mice eat my toes,
Muddy harpies cackle, seeking revenge;
Long vicious claws tear my belly.
Naked paralyzed screams choke.
No sound forthcoming,
Barely a thin ribbon of breath.
Forbidden hands, vile fingers
Paw and poke, shroud the light
In ugly shades of dark silence.
Wind and rain moan through
Dripping parasol pines.
Grey windows open my eyes.
Tears run down dirty panes.
The soul shudders.
The heart slams shut.
unbuttoned or undone 
Wow. Wow. A stunning nightmare. I can almost hear this narrated to music, the opening scenes of a fine old dark European children’s tale. I think you’ve made the brothers Grimm smile, my friend.
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I like the way you turn my writing into movies complete with soundtracks! This one is creepy though; I don’t think I would go watch the movie!
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Oh yes you would, and you know you would! That’s what makes dark European fairytales so wonderful: they’re perfectly innocent… aren’t they? 😉
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Uh… like little red riding hood?
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And Hansel and Gretel
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Shudders…
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…while Muddy harpies cackle
(What a line!)
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Sometimes you know, the right words just write themselves while another part of my brain goes off on a tangent!
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I like the use of the near-rhyme. It makes it approachable rather than just a list of scaries (not that your work could ever be considered a list). ; it becomes the mood music. and I love the condemned miscreants. that’s how they seem in the fall or winter, shriveled but still clinging to the branches. well done
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Thank you. Every once in a long while the monster under the bed comes out and really makes a mess of things!
I was pleased to find the “miscreants”. When I checked the spelling, I found out that it comes from an Old French word, that means ‘unbeliever’.
I love pepper trees. They can be scary or totally magical, depending on the time of day.
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ooh I love etymologies. thx for dropping one 🙂
we have a weed called pepper weed because you can eat it ( tastes like pepper). it’s leaves are shaped like tiny hearts.
found Anika tree I’d never seen before. didn’t know they could live here. planning on trying to get some pics tomorrow. looks nothing like an oak from first glance. I just happened to see acorns.
pepper trees are killer. love how they drop and fruit. their trunks are like an orgy of oaks, maples, and junipers or mesquites. would love to see them here.
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Potent
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Ugh. Sounds like night terrors. Succubus and incubus. Hypnagogic sleep. I hope you aren’t reporting a real episode.
rjb
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Had to look up ‘hypnagogic’. Yes that’s the word.
Not a real episode. Just partial. Rest easy.:-)
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Whew!
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Superb piece of writing, but I cannot in honesty click ‘like’.
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Thank you.
Now I remember that AnElephantCant like mice which he often calls meeces.
Better sweet dreams than these.
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Glad I read this in the afternoon, not just before I went to sleep. Creepy is only just a good beginning for this…, You did such a great job on it, Emm ! 🙂
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I would not want to give you bad dreams! I thank you for your kind comment. You are always so supportive. 🙂
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“Condemned miscreants” and “dripping parasol pines” might be my favourites here.
There is a wonderful blend of the precise, poetic image, and the familiar characters of nightmares rushing forth in the dark.
And the wind…. no wonder we are friends 🙂
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Exteriorisation of dark emotions sometimes helps dispel them. Fairy tales put fears outside of the self as JZ hinted, and I think that’s pretty much how it works for me sometimes. That’s the whole ‘ecriture’ thing!
And yes, the wind, in all his complexity and charm my friend …
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For some reason I’m missing my notices that you have posted something. I dropped by and found myself way behind. I have some catching up to do. I think this is mastery of darkness in a EA Poe sort of way. That it evolves from a personal experience makes it more terrifying, more real. But it’s the words that pull me in and keep me held in place as my mind paints the pictures in time with my eyes. I wouldn’t chose to live in such dark moments but wouldn’t deny them their time either. When the darkness expresses itself so eloquently, it is lifting, dissipating, giving way to a new dawn. And it’s the new dawns I enjoy so much. Great work Em!
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Thanks Dan, I appreciate your kindness.
It is a quite true that putting the uggglies(yes 3gs!) into words sublimates them somehow to leave room for lighter fare. And new dawns are always hopeful.
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New Dawns are cyclic and I always wait up for them. 🙂 I think all of my writing is about that darkness and light as I call it. I sometimes come apart as I weave myself into my stories or attempts at poetry. It requires me to feel, to remember, to see before I can find words to describe it. Many times I have to look away. But I draw strength from the words of others, from your writing, because I see that to struggle is not to be alone or isolated in the dark. There is always some beautiful expression of life just around the dark corner. I always try to capture the darkness and the light. For me, they seem to need each other. But, I do have a preference for the light and your writing always brings it. Thank you Em. 🙂
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