RED FLAGS

here i sleep
with nothing
but
my dreams
to comfort me
while:

the bull
below my room
has given up
tired of being tormented
by red rags

tears flow out
of a man’s eyes
in the next room
when he thinks no one
realises

the phone is
dangling in the office
by its cord
a distressed voice is
pouring out
into the room

screams
creep
up through
the floor boards
and get into
my head

there’s a war
going on here.
there never used to be

why can’t
my dreams stop this war

I could cry myself to sleep
Not needing to count sheep
While a swamp engorphed me
Preventing me to flee

There was another time in my life
Where you could find no strife
Since then
Everything went downhill
Like a throat swallowing a pill

People would tell me there would be a day
Where I would be set free
But I had heard it all before
And didn’t believe a word that came from their mouths

Courage swept over me but
I tripped over a parapet
(the only thing that kept me from going insane)
And felt like I was plummeting to a certain failure
All these definite maybes

Out of order
The only comprehensible words to explain my situation
I’m not poetically correct
I am shorted out

In a day
I could get knocked down
But like a pin
Crash to the ground
And not make a sound

But with one look, one word, one smile
I was SPIRITED AWAY...

FALLING IN LOVE

how appropriate the term is

with its implication of a loss of balance

in the highwire act of the emotions

the potentially fatal flaw


- Greg Simison

but the fire's out anyway...

In one night, your life goes up in flames. Everything disappears in the smoke. You can’t face the people who arrive for consolation. I arrive. Running. In nought but a small sweater. I am shaken and out of breath. I try to say helpful but only a stutter escapes me. There is no sense to be found in the sounds coming from my mouth. You are trying to act tough and say you’ll get through fine, but I see through the sparkly mask you wear. I overheard people say, “What are you worrying about, the fire’s out, you’ll be ok.” They don’t realise that you lost your life and everything precious to you, but your family; the only people on this earth capable of comforting you. Now under the moonlight and in the leftover heat from the flames, you keep your head up despite the fact the incident left you dead in your tracks. What to do? Tears stream down your face; while a distant fantasy becomes reality.