Robert Volkerts

Those corners that you can’t see in
They have an appetite
The dark is hungry
And it is not afraid

You walk by, your mind heavy with concern
Daily, your nine to five kills God
Your eye for an eye, leaves you in the dark
In the dark and vulnerable
To the teeth
The razor

Smile in the sunshine
The elderly smell of Vanilla and butterscotch cookies.
They smile with no teeth, and when they do smile with teeth
It’s a falsehood.
They have lost their pearls long ago
Lost them to the fire of youth

They have also lost their marbles
They have lost them in the shade
They have given them up to shadows

Shadows they could not shake
Shadows that would confound beliefs
Shadows that would strike calm and collected
Shadows are everywhere

There’s a reason our eager fingers flick at light switches
There’s a reason we shudder at the thought of basements and attics
There’s a shadow sailing within us, sailing towards shore
They look for birds, they listen in for sharp sounds
The shadow wants to eat, fish, crabs and your soul

When you receive fist, give embraces
Laces out.
Shadow assassin in my heart.
Fire shooting from my eyes
My throat an oil lamp
My finger tips are flares
My tongue, a sulfur chip
My spine a rocket ship
My my mind a distant planet

You. Astronaut.

Fly.But.Beware.Of.Shadows.

Posted at 4:17pm and tagged with: Poetry, one column,.