She thought that she woke in the morning
To a world that was filled with dread,
Though nothing was changed, or rearranged
Her lover was surely dead.
He’d gone to drive in a shady lane
And said he’d be back by three,
A phone call brought her a wealth of pain,
His car crashed into a tree.

And all the lights in the world went out
For even the sun was dim,
Her love was grey, for a day away
Her life had revolved round him.
Never again would she see him smile,
Or feel the thrill of his touch,
Or roll and play in the barnyard hay
When she cried and sighed, ‘Too much!’

But there in the darkness of her room
His phantom seemed to appear,
His face showed care as he stroked her hair,
‘You know that I love you, dear.’
Her tears were like a river that flows
As she tossed and turned in the gloom,
‘I never thought you would leave me here
To seek your rest in a tomb.’

And then she heard the jangle of keys
As she woke, and her eyes were wide,
He said, ‘I thought I would let you sleep
While I went out for a ride.’
She leapt on him and she pulled him down
To the warm, soft quilt on the bed,
‘The only ride you can take, is me,
My God! I dreamt you were dead!’

David Lewis Paget

at the back of a truck
like dogs wagging
their tongues
tasting the night
singing songs to
a sky that lacks the light
of the moon or the sun
tasting the night
a sweet taste of nostalgia
i know I will remember
these winding roads
and high rise walls
an atmosphere of uncertainty
adults created
we will remain naive and
young
until this music no longer
brings us joy and these
labelled shirts
we wear feel outdated

- t.m

With locks the color of a raven she kneels,
To place before me a life lost.

For this is my realm
where I hold true,
to the life devoid of light.

And she is but one of many,
a servant like the rest.
Now she kneels where few have knelt before.

She lifts her head to meet my gaze,
and though it was in defiance, I cannot help but falter.

The loss in her eyes is that of the others,
yet into my soul her gaze has burrowed.

One has long since been lost to reside in this place,
some more so than others.

And though I know her name not,
nor her story have I heard,

I cannot look away as a single tear falls
and lands upon the life lost,

To land upon that Ebony Rose.

"A one-way ticket to space, please."

"These coins can’t get you anywhere"

I poured my silver lined heart
on the desk

"Ma’am this is all I have"

“I am afraid that is not enough"

I plucked my crystal tears
drew the rubies in my veins

I picked out my pearly eyes
they rolled like silk into her hands

"Enjoy your trip"



But

As I stood on the observation deck

Before the inky canvas
freckled with glistening stars

I realised

I had no

Eyes to see
hearts to please

Not even a tear to weep

Just a vessel
With a metaphoric soul

And a one-way ticket to space.

The pendulum sways from side to side
counting the seconds that seem to drag on by.
From left to right and back again,
ever swinging, never caring.

When all at once we have moved on,
from tonkin trucks and toy voodoo dolls
to raising a family hidden in the shadows,

There comes a moment too late
when we realize we never went back again,
Never stopped to play pretend.

Assuring ourselves that all was well,
unaware that we were slipping away.
Though surrounded by so many, yet still alone,
we are left to stand amidst the blackened rain.

We have it all but we have forgotten
what it meant to be alive.
Clock in and out, work it all away
to live a life that we are living wrong.

Surrounded by it all
Wishing we could be free.
Free from having to flee
Free from the suffering of the greed.

Every day we wake, there is something new,
Another round of death for humanity
Be it the end of a celebrity’s sanity,
Be it a destructive cry of nature’s lament.

As time goes on, everything falls.
We are all here now, but forever it will not be.
Living out every moment we can is our own immortality.
Living out our lives, for all things will eventually disappear.

Death and destruction follow the human race, it is our way.
We build to break and love to hate.
But maybe this is how it is meant to be in the days before we’re at that gate.
But maybe someday our end will be for the best.