Misdirection.......

A flick of the wrist, a shimmer of light,
The gaze drawn left, but the truth slips right.
A whispered promise, a charming new face,
While shadows lengthen in a hidden place.

Can you hear it, was it there? There it is again,
Slipping by, close enough to whisper in your ear.
A faint echo where silence should reign,
A fleeting movement, a ghost in the brain.

You turn your head, but the space is quite bare,
A trick of the mind, or was something truly there?
Walking a path, cobblestones under foot,
More time in the brain, filled with soote.

The path winds on, though the trick is now past,
A silent residue, meant long to last.
A question lingers, a doubt takes its hold,
In stories whispered, both new and old.

With a tunnel close, sides closing in,
Is that the hand you hold your friends?
The air grows thin, a whisper of dread,
For paths chosen, and words left unsaid.

In shadowed alleys, where loyalties bend,
Do you find a companion, or an ill-fated friend?
All at once, awake, you start to scream,
"Let me go!" a desperate, waking dream.

Yet, this strange place where misdirection reigns,
Holds a dark comfort that forever stains.
You run from truth, from clear and open skies,
Embracing shadows, and comforting lies.


Until the master, with a final, swift hand,
Reveals the true nature of this hollow land.
The stage lights blaze, the curtain falls wide,
And you stand alone, with nowhere to hide. ©


MICHARL POWERS
(STYXX ON FIRE)