Death’s Hand

Death’s Hand
By: James Dubeau

I can feel
Death’s boney finger
Hovering high above
Waiting
To grasp me
To pull me under
Joining those
Who have gone before
My heavy eyes
Accept the fate
He has in store
I could fight
To stay awake
To take matters
Into my own hands
But I am weak
Exhausted
The fight gone
From these old bones
I let darkness
Wash over me
And the skeletal hand
Drag me under

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

Doppelganger

Doppelganger
By: James Dubeau

There he sits
Staring at me
Waiting
For me to turn
To acknowledge him
Before he strikes
Slivers of light
Pierce the night air
Illumining
His evil
Sharp toothed
Grin
And the blade
Clutched
In his hand
His thoughts mirror mine
But yet
Dark and twisted
For he is a doppelganger
From another time
Another place
Another dimension
I refuse to turn
To look at him
To grant him satisfaction
Of seeing him
Crouched
Down the dark hallway
Leading from my bedroom
He cannot become me
He cannot replace me
If I do not open my eyes
If I do not turn in bed
If I do not
Look upon him

Nervous Anticipation

Nervous Anticipation
By: James Dubeau

Nervous anticipation
Slips through
Controlling fingers
Calming breaths
And pen on paper
Work free doubts
Restore sanities
Keeping any hesitation
Just below the surface
However
There should have been
No fears
Not for actions
Done a thousand times
But fears do lurk
Behind each shrubbery
Deep in the mind
Only carrying through
Would rise the sun
Illuminate the path
Vanquishing darkness
And bring a smile
To my face

Horizon

Horizon
By: James Dubeau

Over the horizon
Just out of sight
Lays an untold future
Full of mystery and delight
If each step is placed
As carefully as can be
Then all will be happy
And good for me
But
If just one step
Is placed out of line
Then the land beyond
Would be treacherous
And in full decline
Full of snakes and thorns
And creatures of the night
That is the risk I’ll take
In this trek tonight

As Night Goes On

As Night Goes On
By: James Dubeau

As night goes on
My eyes grow heavy
But my mind
Fails to rest
Excitement is just beyond
The horizon of my life
Just out of reach
But close enough
Where the dismal sky
Is illuminated
In pre-dawn dull gray
Stars of despair
Still twinkle
But are slowly washed out
As the gray turns to blue
And the skies brighten
If only my brain
Could grasp this future
And rest easy
Knowing safety
Was around the corner
But instead
It plots
And plans
Trying to weasel out
Not facing the challenges
Or accepting the fact
That I need
One more
Good night
Of sleep

One More Day

One More Day
By: James Dubeau

One more day
Waiting and watching
One more day
Hoping for the best
One more day
Fearing the worst
One more day
To sit in agony
One more day
Until the truths revealed
One more day
Then we shall know
One more day
Left to go
One more day

My Little Editor

My Little Editor
By: James Dubeau

Drifting off
As the night surrounds me
My fingers want to dance
Need to dance
Upon the keys
Laying out my deepest thoughts
And feelings
And emotions
Bare to the world
In the far back corner
An tiny little man sits
Horn rimmed glasses
Perched upon his tiny nose
“No!” he shouts
Slamming down his pencil
“The world is a dangerous place
One must not bare their soul
Or else they will suffer
The consequences of actions”
Words have never been so true
Keeping me contained
Protected behind this wall
Built of concrete
Three feet thick
Safe from the outside world
The dangers
And ridicule
Protected
In this cell
Built up
Around me