Wooden ships sink,
steel hulls buckle under known icebergs,
air ships explode or fall from the heavens ,
equipment failure and human error,
that’s what they say;
human error.
Meanwhile a thousand loose threads are pulled from public chairs and the silent sound of a thousand hearts beating fast with nervous fear,
will the ones they love return? Survive?
The telephone bursts to life.
To some this brings joy, but to the many few who shy and cringe at the eternity of possibilities waiting on the other end, the sound is more like the dying screams found in the abattoirs of old.
It rings out.
Screams again.
Rings out.
Imagine a shiny heart, polished and pumping clean and true, then brush away imaginings.
The black heart beats slowly, grinding dirty blood around a polluted system,
a cage for the blackened soul.
Look into the eyes of the dying and the feared, each pair of eyes no matter the colour, always pleading.
Some scream, some cry, some beg and some just stare ahead and headlong.
They all die just the same.
In agony, fear, bravery or loneliness, we will face many small deaths before the big one.
The real victims in moments of unexpected tragic human error are the public seats on trains, thread bare, and never replaced.
Then there are some, the ones who stand on the bow of their ship and smile, laugh and revel in the beauty of such death, their memories of smiles, love, friendship and solid land keep them standing and smiling.
Even when the flames lick their faces or the icy waters fill their lungs, they don’t mind.
Their soul has left its cage, they glide into the sweet dream of death, they wander a flower filled spring valley of good memories, good times, never noticing the chaos of ten thousand dying hearts, too foolish to remember they too must surrender to life.
I try hard not to forget all the life in me.
I forget almost most things.
Never that!
I am young lived,
not stuck
stuck in my mind,
not falling,
fallen,
cast from iron filings
what is ‘just right?’
Just another bottle of red, just another spoon of sugar for the medicine…
right?
Exhale,
stale
stalemate
Inhale.
Oh, no… no one wins
no one wins
unless everyone wins
—
Do we die
or are we dead
already…
I have all the patience for you
liver, lived eternal
living life unsheltered
Sometimes, i wish I had your endurance
Life not caught in this, and that and this whatever it is.
whatever
never
nevermind
I borrowed more than I can repay
oh… but you’ll pay
I’ll pay.
We pay…
In time….
raisedinkpress 