Stillicide

I have no dreams A tree fell and crushed the taut strings Outside the gate A figure at the same place Picks at the tar and waits for my house His gasping question How long will you survive? After rain, stillicide drips from the roof Into his old tin cans I don't see where he takes water A paste, crushed leaves and spit Is brought out And painted on him, straining I have no dreams From the roof I hear him scream The fishing lines that held me up Are caught under the tree I hope it rains enough to rot it quickly

Submitted by Dahmers Fridge — Apr 26, 2025

I took the lower path Full of pellets, unresolved To avoid the lighted room under the lake I remember at first The tilted blue oceans of the valley As evening took the color from the weeds I tried to keep the bread and water face From showing on the mountain Many years inside the lighted room A lacerated grin hung from my jaw Complicated panes of glass And passing shoulders locked me in When I was old enough I pushed aside a tile And snaked through the cold muck Into the vast and brittle day I took the lower path Full of pellets, unresolved And I let the heat from other days become my fire

Submitted by Morgoth — Apr 26, 2025