A Beautiful Silence

Black throat Paper dry anticipation Dark magnetic thoughts keep sleep at arms length A big Samoan security guard stands between me and my subconscious hand firmly pressed against sternum as I strain against my better interests these waking teeth sink into twice mauled flesh dog with a bone – lock jawed gnawing with a low growl sitting large, and heavy, in the right-hand corner of the bedclothes There’ll be regrets tomorrow, for the trouble I’ve made There always are on Saturdays. Hot blooded eyelids pound drum-beaten pulses into the echoing and expandable night air Morning’s light is a different destination entirely A distant shore Calm and unflinching, like death Spitting vitriol – tourettes-like shouting Alcohol’s strong tail wags the dog Doesn’t matter how and why it all started. That birth is of no significance. I beg of you, please take these hands Submerge them in a cool, clear forest pool Slowly pull me under with you The air inside my lungs can last forever Slowly exhaled – infinite Prop up each limp limb with sticks Plaster my eyes with pitch-tasting, thin fingers of earth Praying for mercy, I surrender to you my weaknesses (hand over the keys) Give over these thoughts – all churned up and nauseous That sleep might provide salvation That time will heal itself from its own tight bandage Unravel – and set us all free Weightless space does not require breath, or minds, or bodies Without a care Without this world – there is such a beautiful silence