Dark Past

Dark Past

By: James Dubeau

Why does the dark past

Invoke such nightmares

Upon the soul

And set the mind

Tumbling

Through time and space

Not letting rest

Reach weary eyes

When the night runs long

Mental guards drop

Letting murky ooze

Seep though

Poisoning the mind

Sending it in spirals

Bringing back

Every detail

Every smile

Every laugh

Every thought

Every emotion

Of those days

Long ago

Tearing tenuously healed wounds

Open and raw

Fresh searing pain

Which can only be cured

With more time

Whiskey

And sleep

Slant Ways

Slant Ways

By: James Dubeau

The night before last

When day turned to the

The moon was falling

Slant ways

Shouldn't that orb

Always be rising

When darkness freshly falls

I wish it were so

But no

Luna was setting

In such a way

That made me sad

Behind the trees

Never to be seen

In all her glory

Falling

Slant ways

Dark Days

Dark Days
By: James Dubeau

Staring into the darkness
Can’t tell if my eyes
Are open
Or closed
Rain rattles against the window
Closing me in
Cutting off
The rest of the world
Wetness wells in my eyes
Shivers down my body
I don’t want to be alone
Not right now
Not on these dark days

Midnight Hour

Midnight Hour
By: James Dubeau

Staring into the darkness
I can’t tell
If my eyes are open
Or closed
If I am alive
Or dead
Rain rattles against the window
Closing me in
Cutting off the rest of the world
Wetness wells in my eyes
My body trembles
I don’t want to be alone
Not right now
Not on these dark days

Dark Alley

Dark Alley
By: James Dubeau

My 45
Weighs heavy
In my hand
Against my soul
As I step
With trepidation
Down the dark alley
Eyes dart across
Every shadow
Every hiding place
For that scumbag to lurk
A trashcan crashes
I wheel to face
The daemon I chased
From the darkness emerged
A stray cat
Then from behind me
A handgun exploded
Cordite reached my nostrils
Above rotten garbage
I fell to my knee
My 45 clattered
Against the pavement
Impotent
Against that vagabond
Against my killer
Sprinting from the alley

The Torment

The Torment
By: James Dubeau

No matter where I turn
Or try to think
The torment
Is ready for me
Mental anguish
Which stops the brain
From being rational
Or being sane
There appears to be no end
To the pain and suffering
I seek
At least not any time
For which I can see
Forever more
This is baggage
Which I must carry
Until the time
When the torment ends
And the cool black hands
Of night embrace me
Envelop me
Into darkness

Dark

Dark
By: James Dubeau

The day is bright
But I am dark
My soul should soar
But it is dark
Where have they all gone?
When it is so dark
My friends left me
In the dark
My parents left me
In the dark
Everything has left me
In the dark
There can be no other
In the dark
Only my poems
Can light the dark
For me to be happy
With the dark
In the
Dark

Black Horizon

Black Horizon
By: James Dubeau

White foam breaks
Impenetrable darkness
Of incoming waves
Whose blackness extends
An incalculable distance
Reaching towards
Becoming
The starless sky
Water laps
Upon my toes
Slowly washing away
Footprints
Removing all trace
Of my existence
From this earth
Each step
Brings the invisible horizon
Closer
Water washes past
Cleansing my soul
Enveloping me
Devouring me
For once I have been baptized
By the depths
I shall scream out
And become
No more

Night Is When The Demons Come Out

Night Is When The Demons Come Out
By: James Dubeau

Night is when the demons come out
Crawling from deep dark places
Enveloping my head
My mind
My soul
How can the torment stop
When my mind races though mazes
Hoping to find a weakness
A thin spot in the hedgerow
That will hasten my journey
And allow me to escape
Lead me to sanctuary
From the night demons
Before all is lost
To the darkness

Motivation

Cold dark tendrils reach out
Grabbing and pulling at limbs
Limbs that flail about
In the cacophony of screams
While the body dragged slowly down
Flailing about enraged the beast
Tentacles of pain and sorrow squeezed
Against any effort
Slowly choking life from the body
Neurotoxin venom seeps through pores
Secreted from the giant beast’s suction cups
Visions of happiness and accomplishment flash
Delusions of a better time
Bring smiles to the body’s face
Welcoming the impending doom
As darkness swallows all
In the end
Only the body remains
Slowly rocking back and forth
Going mad
As the world passes it by

Lamp

Dark
Alone
Afraid
I reach for you

Reassuring glow
Together
Happy
I reach for you

Intense
Blinding
No escape
I reach for you

Dark
Alone
Afraid