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Shaded Lamp Aug 2014
Up on a feathered duvet a man conceding defeat
To the Sunday that had just begun
Reeking of last night’s sweat, smoke and self-deceit
Threads of reality so rapidly un-spun

All that he promised himself to accomplish this day
All that stuff to be tossed in the bin
Procrastination rearranges plans or lets them decay
And all because of his love for gin

Amnesia of last night’s antics plants the seeds of guilt
Shame shall be his shadow today
Enter a recurring thought... a sword driven to its hilt
Piercing pain added to his dismay

Rusted cogs of cognition screeched slowly into action
"A cure" he grumbled "A cure"
Wearily off the bed searching for medicinal satisfaction
To make last night less obscure

The stark bright light of the bathroom fried his vision
But as his senses normalized
He stared in the mirror shocked, BANG! In a collision
Mouth agape and paralyzed

Finger painted on his forehead, with what must be blood
G    U    I    L    T   Y
From down stairs somewhere
A woman's laugh
Mocking
Fear took its grip quick

A sword driven to its hilt



Part 2 of 6
a sword driven to its hilt


Arctic chills froze his spine
Pick axes hacked his mind
Tongue pickled in brine
Suffocated and confined
Heart beat pounding
Breathing short and quick
Terror was abounding
Throat swallowing a brick

Staring at his reflection . . . G U I L T Y
Unable move any limb
Even for his protection
Return of memory grim . . . a sword driven to its hilt

Back to the bed room to search for his phone
To make contact with the real world
From down stairs came that exact same laugh
Every hair on his body tightly curled
The phone was nowhere to be found upstairs
Again that tormenting laughter
He called out "Who is it?" but only silence replied
Then that laugh again soon after
"WHO ARE YOU?!" he demanded to know
Arming himself with a cricket bat
Tentatively descending the sweeping staircase
Noticing the post on the door mat
The newspaper informed him it was Monday
Confused, frightened he ran outside
A burnt pile of his clothes lay in front of his door
He yelled but only the laughter replied

Then through the dining room bay-window
Sitting at the table as if a patient guest
A gruesome wide eyed greying corpse of a man  
A sword driven in his head and out his breast

In the dead man’s hand a glowing phone
The source of the tormenting laugh
Not thinking, our man rushed in to take it
The phone flashed "maintenance staff"

Every sense heightened
Sickened and frightened
Feeling he was being observed
Part of a wicked game
Driving him insane
But so far he had been preserved
As he answered the phone
He knew he was not alone
"Hello sir... I hope I haven't disturbed"
------------------------------------------------------­-----------

part 3 of 6

Saturday Night


The late afternoon sun draped its golden satin light
To the house-staff, Giles (our man) seemed uptight
The butler Zamira dutifully stirring his drink right

The sun dipped behind the poplar trees standing straight
He orders "A Churchill  martini" trying not to sound irate
Giles watched her stirring, stirring as in a hypnotic state

Zamira presented a chilled, frosted Riedel martini glass to him
brimming to the top with Gilpins Westmorland extra dry gin
The sun slowly sank behind trees as the drink loosened his limbs
"You may both leave, till Tuesday" He said to Zamira and her twin
Liliana (the cook) and the butler were often dismissed at his whim
They sped off in their green MG, off to the Slaughtered lamb inn

Giles raised his glass to the bobbing full hunters moon
Waiting was now over, the others would be here soon
First a pinch of Peruvian sniffed from a little silver spoon

This day had been prepared in detail for nearly a year
One final act of courage and tenacity he must engineer
All hushed except the sound of large cars drawing near

Four black Jaguars and a white refrigerated van

Crunched over the gravel drive towards (our man)

Giles Bradshaw-Behran stood still.

It had began.

---------------------------------------------------------­--

Part 4 of 6

three years earlier

The Gallows and Noose


"This, THIS! I'm so tired of all THIS!"
Blurted Giles as Zamira dressed his wrists
Pathetic! (She thought) A dismal attempt
Then left the room concealing contempt
Giles just stared at the

drip

drip

drip

dripping of the morphine
Candle light danced on the walls
The demons sank back into the shadows
Giles returned to the womb
Basking in weightless warmth
Comfortably apathetic
Numb

The drudgery of the next day unfurled
As Giles accepted defeat around noon
Something had to be done about life
That something had better happen soon
  
He brunched in his office
and so began his search
All that day
and night
that week
That month

Deeper into the cavernous "dark web"
seeking any answer to end his despair
but every search became a cul-de-sac
No doors opened for this millionaire
No doors would open
All remained firmly locked
Sitting in his office chair
Feverishly typing as he rocked
He rocked as he typed
He swivelled as he clicked
Searching for something
That he was less able to predict

But that something found him
And sent him an invitation
Explaining that they had been watching
Seeing his frustration
Understanding his world view
May he could understand theirs
But before he were to be accepted
He must climb down the seven stairs
He
      Must
                Climb
                           Down
                                     The
                                           Seven
                                                      Stairs
Dis­tant from the blinding light
Cast yourself from the hallows
Embrace darkness embrace night
Take the Noose and the Gallows.

The mouse pointer hovered
over options "Yes" and "No"
His heart beat quickened
But then came the red glow
of two laser beams from directly behind
circling the yes option
From past the windows' opened blind
"Yes" and the two red dots disappeared
The wheels were put in motion
His future was now commandeered
A force that seemed greater than him
Changed the rules and took control
Embers deep inside of him flickered
Re-igniting the coals of his dark soul

The seven steps awaited him...
What ever could they be?


-----------------------------------------------------------­


part 5 of 6

The Seven Steps of The Thuggee


Giles sat statue still in his office
Unsure whether or not he should move
Like a hunted deer in the woods
Waiting for chances of survival to improve

And yet though he were vulnerable
Life coursed through every artery and vein
The lost keystone of his arched spirit
The panacea for tedious boredom and pain

DING! ****! The doorbell rang
"Zamira, who is it? Can you please see?"
Footsteps approached the front entrance
Giles felt instinctively "fight or flee"

He sat with silence looming over him
For what seemed like an eternity
"****** ancient bell!" he shouted
"This whole house repels modernity!"

Down stairs
At the entrance
The Cuban butler stared out into the night
Looking for a sign
Looking for who...
Who had left the parcel she now clutched tight

No one
Nothing
But for the song of a lonely nightingale
She hurried
To the office
Where she found her employer looking pale

Zamira explained what had happened
And handed him the black wrapped box
"Would you like me to open it Sir?"
"No! I would like... a chartreuse on the rocks"

She left to attend to his request

For the attention of Mr. G. Bradshaw-Behram
Soon after the two laser beams were on the wrapping
Inside the box was a detailed program
A history of the Thuggee cult and a Thuggee king

The Thuggee King called BEHRAM!
Behram, BEHRAM! His late mother’s family name
A Thuggee cult King relative?
With over 900 hundred murders to that man’s claim

900 strangled victims
To please Goddess Kali
Every drop of blood for her
So humanity can be free

Zamira returned with his drink
Giles had never needed one so much
The following weeks more instruction came

Weeks just turned to months
Months quickly turned to years
Six of the secret steps complete
So many grotesque souvenirs

All leading to this moment
On his lawn under the hunters moon
The waiting was now over
The others would be here very soon
First a pinch of Peruvian
Sniffed from his pretty little silver spoon
Adjusting his cummerbund
That soon would erase two souls fortune

Four black Jaguars and a refrigerated van
Crunched over the gravel drive to our man
Giles stood still and smiled, for it had began

Each of the six women and the six men
Were concealed with hoods and veils
But Giles' face was not hidden from them
Now that he controls the final inhales

Deep in the candle light of the wine cellar
Which had been prepared with plastic sheets and tape
A skirt of dismembered arms on an altar
A grim garland of forty eight human skulls, mouths agape

But fifty skulls are required
According to the ancient text
Two more to soon be provided
Giles planned to do that next

"Bring the two travellers to me" demanded Giles
"Let me send them on their final way"
Eight of the group left and within minutes returned
With four bound, hooded for him to slay.

Giles felt suddenly unable to function
"This was not meant to be!"
"The others witnessed the abduction, Sir"
"They...will not please Kali"

"Stand those women over there
Tie them back to back
Make sure your knots are fixed
Offer them no slack!"

The silk cummerbund slid
Effortlessly off his waist
Weighted near the middle
To offer death less haste
The first of the male offerings
Only kicked for 30 seconds
the world stopped moving when
the other felt the silk band

The back to back females started spinning
Their hoods removed and ******* gone
Giles did not look up to see who he knew
Focused solely on continuing strangulation

This time the Thuggee's had another view
Zamira and Liliana in a blurring spin
Black of space and ocean of deep blue
Zamira angered, Liliana peaceful grin

All but their arms becoming one
Morphing seamlessly into each other
The (previously twin) sisters had become
The universe's all powerful mother

          K A L I...


Final part

Nothing escapes the all-consuming march of time!


As KALI consumed time and space
Her dimensions grew and grew
Her skin darkened to deep space black
From unfathomable ocean blue
Rivers of obsidian flowed as her wild hair
Untamed, magnificent, streaming
Three blood red eyes past, present, future
Decided who needed redeeming
Four arms, three of which were grasping
A sword, a spear, a bowl
The fourth grabbed a Thuggee's head
Sword decapitated the soul
A crimson red snake of a tongue lashed
Out for every drop of blood
Then the sword slashed every throat there
Her tongue lapped up the flood
KALI'S gaze finally cast upon terrified Giles
Evaporating his body with fire
His conscience was that remained in that dimension
His conscience changed KALI'S desire
Frightful fury morphed in to motherly compassion
Her skin back from black to blue
Spewing out rearranged history, time and space
No other being could construe
But a mother must teach her children lessons
So she left Giles not without guilt
A ****** message painted on his forehead
And a sword driven to its hilt

*THE END!
I know, ****** long and therefor wont be read by many but I just thought it should be posted as one document.
Robert Evenson Aug 2017
Liliana,
¿está mal que esté celoso del vaso que toca tus labios lucios? o el sol de la mañana que acaricia tu suave piel?
¿es incorrecto que soy celoso del viento de la tarde que suavemente mueve su pelo sedoso?
Y la música que penitrates tu alma?
Es malo que estoy celoso del espejo que ve y refleja tus ojos como la luz de la luna sobre un mar en calma?
¿está mal que esté celoso de la ropa que abraza tu cuerpo como me gusta hacer? O la música que llena tu alma con pasión?
¿es incorrecto que soy celoso del gatito que le hace sonreír? ¿y la almohada que acuna suavemente tu cabeza mientras sueñas?
¿está mal que estoy celoso de aquellos que pueden escuchar la música encantadora que es su voz? ¿o aquellos que pueden ver la forma en que camina con elegancia como una princesa en una película?
¿es incorrecto que en su ausencia parezco a un barco sin un timón? ¿o que te echo tanto de menos es como un dolor físico?
Si todos estos sentimientos están equivocados nunca voy a ser correcto, porque las palabras en este poema nunca puede ser suficiente para decirte cuánto te amo.
Shaded Lamp Aug 2014
part 5 of*  6

The Seven Steps of The Thuggee

Giles sat statue still in his office
Unsure whether or not he should move
Like a hunted deer in the woods
Waiting for chances of survival to improve

And yet though he were vulnerable
Life coursed through every artery and vein
The lost keystone of his arched spirit
The panacea for tedious boredom and pain

DING! ****! the door bell rang
"Zamira, who is it? Can you please see?"
Footsteps approached the front entrance
Giles felt instinctively "fight or flee"

He sat with silence looming over him
For what seemed like an eternity
"****** ancient bell!" he shouted
"This whole house repels modernity!"

Down stairs
At the entrance
The Cuban butler stared out into the night
Looking for a sign
Looking for who...
Who had left the parcel she now clutched tight

No one
Nothing
But for the song of a lonely nightingale
She hurried
To the office
Where she found her employer looking pale

Zamira explained what had happened
And handed him the black wrapped box
"Would you like me to open it Sir?"
"No! I would like... a chartreuse on the rocks"

She left to attend to his request

For the attention of Mr. G. Bradshaw-Behram
Soon after the two laser beams were on the wrapping
Inside the box was a detailed program
A history of the Thuggee cult and a Thuggee king

The Thuggee King called BEHRAM!
Behram, BEHRAM! his late mothers family name
A Thuggee cult King relative?
With over 900 hundred murders to that mans claim

900 strangled victims
To please Goddess Kali
Every drop of blood for her
So humanity can be free

Zamira returned with his drink
Giles had never needed one so much
The following weeks more instruction came

Weeks just turned to months
Months quickly turned to years
Six of the secret steps complete
So many grotesque souvenirs

All leading to this moment
On his lawn under the hunters moon
The waiting was now over
The others would be here very soon
First a pinch of Peruvian
Sniffed from his pretty little silver spoon
Adjusting his cummerbund
That soon would erase two souls fortune

Four black Jaguars and a refrigerated van
Crunched over the gravel drive to our man
Giles stood still and smiled, for it had began

Each of the six women and the six men
Were concealed with hoods and veils
But Giles' face was not hidden from them
Now that he controls the final inhales

Deep in the candle light of the wine cellar
Which had been prepared with plastic sheets and tape
A skirt of dismembered arms on an altar
A grim garland of forty eight human skulls, mouths agape

But fifty skulls are required
According to the ancient text
Two more to soon be provided
Giles planned to do that next

"Bring the two travelers to me" demanded Giles
"Let me send them on their final way"
Eight of the group left and within minutes returned
With four bound, hooded for him to slay.

Giles felt suddenly unable to function
"This was not meant to be!"
"The others witnessed the abduction, Sir"
"They...will not please Kali"

"Stand those women over there
Tie them back to back
Make sure your knots are fixed
Offer them no slack!"

The silk cummerbund slid
Effortlessly off his waist
Weighted near the middle
To offer death less haste
The first of the male offerings
Only kicked for 30 seconds
the world stopped moving when
the other felt the silk band

The back to back females started spinning
Their hoods removed and ******* gone
Giles did not look up to see who he knew
Focused solely on continuing strangulation

This time the Thuggee's had another view
Zamira and Liliana in a blurring spin
Black of space and ocean of deep blue
Zamira angered, Liliana peaceful grin

All but their arms becoming one
Morphing seamlessly into each other
The (previously twin) sisters had become
The universe's all powerful mother

                     K A L I...
I hope you like where this has lead us
The Grand Finale shall be posted in a few hours
O dia que chegou tão depressa ao seu final,
Trouxe-me a certeza de uma noite fria e pálida,
Onde chego à cama, e espero ver-te ali deitada,
Pelos tempos fora, sinto a certeza desse sinal!

Foram três longos anos de vazio, tais como os teus sinais,
As estrelas que carregas nos ombros, são juntas na tua lua,
São profundos sonhos de um golfinho que a ti, se junta, lua tua,
Imensas vezes, a olhei, para te ver a ti brilhar em vendavais!

Hoje percebo porque sentia e via o meu quarto sempre vazio,
Quando chegaste em dia de temporal, na noite sadia e vadia,
Estava eu junto daquele precipício, esperando sair desse presidio,
De cores sem tom, de cheiros sem fragância, naquela estadia!

E assim nas voltas que dei, das estrelas que vi, tu chegas-te,
Mesmo na hora que tudo parecia perdido, desenhada perfeitamente,
E de todas as preces e palavras que preguei a Deus e ele me advir-te,
Trazendo-te a ti, contornada de perfeitas coisas, cantando acusticamente!

E assim percebi que a força que têm a cobardia de destruição,
De um coração como o meu, perfeitamente bom e agora teu,
Me dá ganas de pegar em ti, ao meu colo teu, deitar-te no céu,
Decorar as estrelas, contigo no centro, meu quarto cresceu, paixão!

Autor: António Benigno
Escusado será dizer-te a ti, que te vejo, sabia que virias, não te imaginava chegando, mas surpreendentemente, tudo que lhe havia pedido, ele me trouxe triplicando, abusando mesmo de galhardia, e eu agora me contemplando, porque tudo que me trazia, era muito mais do que lhe pedia. Liliana, lhe peço agora mesmo, que meu coração mereça sempre, tudo aquilo que Deus me prometia.
Penso eu, que a plenitude de uma vida,
Não é ir ao mercado e comprar felicidade,
É sim, sem muito contar, adquirir uma dívida,
Não cobrável, muito menos reembolsável!

Os meus planos eram meramente vagos,
Seguia um caminho longo, sem ambição,
Pouco mais do que sobreviver meu coração,
Não havia muito sentido para estes lados!

Contudo, e porque eu agora acredito no destino,
Estes anos todos me preparei como homem,
Para que agora, sem contar, visse o céu divino,
Que Deus me quis dar! Deixei de ser lobisomem!

Decidi mesmo despir todas as vestimentas faciais,
Sem dúvidas e calmamente feliz, me dou todo a ti,
Porque nessa mulher fantástica, cheia de sonhos, eu vi,
O amor de verdade, nosso, de segredos confidenciais!

Decidi logo ao fim de poucas horas da minha presença,
Frente aos teus olhos directos e sorriso espontâneo,
Entregar a ti, em tuas mãos, o meu sonho, contemporâneo,
Nunca senti necessidade de te pedir a ti qualquer licença!

E a chave do meu mundo, dos meus sonhos, te dou agora na mão,
Sinto o teu corpo vibrar e felicitar-se, na confiança desta aliança,
Melhor que um anel, um qualquer contrato ou confissão,
É hoje sentir que sou feliz e não tenho qualquer fiança!

O preço dos meus sonhos, da minha felicidade,
Eu te devo a ti mulher, de estimada liberdade,
És ágil, subtil e eu sortudo com imensa vaidade,
Te prometo agora amar, pela nossa eternidade.

Autor: António Benigno
Para ti, Liliana. És o melhor na minha vida…
Se eu sou neste mundo a lua e tu o sol,
Se tu és a estrela, que me ilumina o meu dia,
Porque teme o sol a lua, se é dela o seu brilho?
Aparecerei nos momentos da tua maior luz,
Nos dias fantásticos de magia da tua alegria,
Na beleza da continuidade dos teus dias,
Na herança dos nossos corpos unidos,
Eu, lua, estarei ali, junto de ti, quando deres à luz!
Quando estiver eu no céu pela manha,
Esperando que chegues aos meus braços,
Estarei ali para brilhar junto contigo,
O meu brilho será reflectido para ti,
Apesar das voltas que dês no mundo,
Eu, estarei ali, sempre esperando por ti!
Quando nos dias perderes o brilho,
Virei abraçar-te para te mostrar que estou contigo,
Leva os dias comigo, preciso de ti como és,
Nos teus momentos de alegria e tristeza,
Porque só assim eu poderei amar-te,
Fazer-te a surpresa da minha companhia,
E dar-te a ti a força e manter o teu lindo brilho,
Em tão poucos dias que tem a nossa eternidade,
Nas voltas todas que deu o mundo sobre nós,
És o centro do mundo minha estrela brilhante,
Não é um acaso é uma certeza bem divina,
Não é coincidência, para nós é evidência,
Darei voltas sempre sobre ti e pela terra,
Porque ela é a família que temos
E aquela que um dia com o teu dar de luz faremos,
Mas eu e a família que é nossa,
Há tua volta com tua luz, viveremos.
Te adoro muito mesmo, Liliana minha estrela!

Autor: António Benigno
Esta é a lógica do que fazemos
Sinto o meu corpo voar como um passarinho,
Nos teus braços, sinto conforto do nosso ninho!
Os teus olhos, são a alegria do meu caminho,
E quando chego a ti, sinto mesmo o teu carinho!

Sinto-me a planar no ar como uma pena,
A energia que vem de ti, me é tão amena,
O teu perfume cor de energia tão plena,
Teu abraço único é meu, querida Liliana!

Nada é igual a ti, à tua doce presença,
Tua imagem, sempre uma boa lembrança,
Respiro melhor, estes sonhos de criança,
A vida contigo, é agora a melhor aliança!

Sinto-me tão grande no teu aconchego,
Sinto-me vaidoso da tua companhia,
Sinto a tua presença com muita alegria,
Beijo teu, eu vejo e logo de vontade, pego!

Esta noite eu vou deitar-me alucinado,
Descanso sobre a almofada apaixonado,
É tão leve minha consciência, abobadado,
Vénia pela noite a teu ser, por mim amado!

Autor: António Benigno
Código de autor: 2013.07.23.02.08

— The End —