Poems of Darkness
by BardtotheBone

            

The Leaf

I saw something today. 
No one else noticed I'm sure. 
It was a leaf. 
The leaf was brown around the edges, 
as if it had been cruelly 
plucked from the tree 
in the middle of its life 
by forces unknown 
and uncontrolled. 
It lay there 
In a shallow puddle of rainwater 
Unmoving. 
Suddenly a strong gust of wind came 
and lifted the leaf up... 
It swirled around drunkenly... 
It looped in circles 
And dove towards the ground. 
It shot back up 
And danced again 
Before the wind eventually 
died down. 
Once again it lay there, 
Unable to do anything but wait 
For the next gust of wind. 
9/3/01 

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Should You Ever Wish

Should you ever wish 
for time to stand still, 
lie awake in your lonely bed 
at 3am 
Listening to the owl 
outside your window, 
the creaking of the old house, 
the howling of the dog miles away, 
and the echoes of your own memories. 
In the dead of the night 
everything ceases to exist, 
even Time. 
Everything, that is, 
except the beating of your heart, 
the sound of your breath 
and the aching hunger in your soul. 

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