I never hear them when they speak
only hours later
in the painfully lit basement of my home
with earphones and patience
do their words reach me
such was the case last October
I was driving through Wilderness, Virginia
for the first time and happened to pass
Saunders Field and caught sight of the plaque
that stood at the bottom of the hill
and a trail that led into the woods
where the fierce skirmishes took place
it was a bit chilly and windy
and the road nearby was busy with passing cars
not an ideal place for an EVP session
but I felt compelled to try
and walked the edge of the woods
then a short portion of the trail
I asked many questions directly to anyone
who may be listening
'How many souls perished here?'
'Are you one of those souls?'
'Did you suffer?'
'Why do you stay or visit this place?'
as usual, I heard no voices during the 18 minutes
of questioning
however, the presence was undeniable
I was not alone here
this I knew
on the way back down the hill to leave
I reached out one final time;
'I have about 20 seconds left, so if you'd like
to say something, please say it now'
again I heard nothing, turned the recorder off
and departed

it was several days before I could return home
and review my recording
but my curiosity as always
grew stronger the longer I had to wait
I was disappointed as I began to listen
nothing heard as each minute passed
only the whisper of wind and cars
until I came to my final question in those last moments...
'I have about 20 seconds left, so if you'd like
to say something, please say it now.'

'Leave me under the ground........human'

Once a beauty, a sight for all to behold
Now a sad Charlie Brown replica with a story to be told

Whispered promises of gifts of time and care
Oh how the promises now float freely in the air

If only this tree could have felt the warmth of the sun
Who knows then what it would have become

Tangled limbs of times in the past
Leaves falling and falling off so fast

The words of love left and pinned on by you and me
Have now started to also fall from this tree

Oh no there goes the love word Adore
Now look there goes the one that says No I love you more

All gone now except for one left right below a small pine knot
I found the love words Please Forget Me Not

Yes neglected and left unattended for so long
But yet the root system is still quite strong

Maybe this tree can be restored, to what it was so long before...

All the love words could be returned along with all the leaves
All you have to do is follow through with all love promises
and *Believe

When it all began, we blossomed
twas happiness all the way
knowing life ain't a bed of roses
I had Faith kicking me on
"The perfect ones" we were called
     Faith told me to live
     cos' you're the one true being
     Faith told me to believe
     cos' nothing was going to come between us
     Faith told me to be weak
     cos' you're strong for the both of us
Now that tis over
what's thy Fate, Faith?

Be cautious when delving into the bottomless abyss of the unknown
Of the ever unpredictable oceanic being
The dolphin you love dearly will not save you from a shark
And who are you to say the ocean must change
So you may immerse your life into its
Force of nature complexity
It's wisdom and destructive power are inseparable
And be you a marine biologist fascinated by the depths of the oceanic complexity
Or a child drawn by the colors of the coral reefs
Or a fisherman seeking sustenance to his spirit
Or a mermaid from Starbucks at Port Authority
Or a witch particularly evil when interlocking fingers with two main sources of her livelihood
All the same the ocean will not adopt
To your capacities to withhold it
So shall you dive?
Even if you hear its echo in the back of your mind
From the moment you open your eyes
To the last waking thought

Black smoke on the mountain
bends over the moon like flies
around rines all fed up
with the night, like a bloated
face floating by in the river
sleeping through
death's long montage,
that dark mistress sipping
gin on a balcony with no wind,
her curtains still as a blanket
placed over the drowned.

A moan,
Yes it was a moan!
From a woman!
But who?
A new bride forced into a marriage,
To be forever with a man who loved her not asked herself.

He refused to consummate,
And never for once did he touch her.
Yet, he snuck out every night.
To do what? She knew not!
On a certain fortnight,
Her curiosity got the best of her.
With a lantern, she followed,
And to the garden in the manor,
He unknowingly led her.

To her horror, he was making love
Yes! Cheating on her!
Her beloved husband with another woman!
He made love to his lover on the trimmed grass.
Whom he showered affection he had never on her.

Alas! After the heated pleasure,
His lover and rose
And into the roundabout pedestal she steps,
Taking the posture of the statue
Which had lived tens of years in the manor.

But how? Why could he love a statue?
Made passionate love to her all night
And yet, avoid her, his wife,
Like a plague?!!
Come morning, she decided-
She would break down that statue
And end this secret Obscene affair!