I Fell in Love with a Ghost*
That night, when sunset cast deep shadows
there, under the lamplight I saw eyes
that met mine from a hazy shape, low.
So deep entwined did our souls become
our hearts beat in my ears and my spirit
soared, like a lost seagull missing the boat
sailing off toward the Northern pole pit.
I knew then, you had died someplace cold.
I will be forever old. Lost in time, deprived
no one to grow close to, no one to grow old
with children and house, only a moment
then you were gone.
*first line from Luthien's poem
#love #ghost #poem #sfharper #sheri fresonke harper, #rhyme #north #duluth #photograph
Broken
I can't breathe; my soul is being ripped to shreds. It hurts but every day I try to mend
what keeps on breaking in my head. I can't seem to think straight this jumble of words scratching at the walls of my brain like a dog begging for its owner to let them out. So there i stay withering away without a doubt the only thing in hand are the crisp cold sheets of my bed. My boken heart shatters, while i'm stuck wishing I was dead instead.
Irrational
The silence that fills this house has never been as overpowering as it was tonight. The memories of running through the halls with a towel around my shoulders couldn’t drown out the feeling of missing life that echoed throughout the hollowed and burnt walls. The beams and vines created an abandoned home. My flashlight flickered on and off and a wish to be back at my apartment swept through my thoughts.
A gust of wind rushed through the house and while I could see that I was the only one there it felt like someone was trailing their fingers across my shoulders.
The dust and ash swept up and traced the back of my neck like breath. My heart sped up and as I walked further and further down the hall. My eyes darted back and forth, trying hopelessly to see into every dark corner, every abscess between the floorboards, every movement in the shadows that made me feel, less, and less alone.
“Hi, Honey.”
I skitter back and press against the staircase leaning against the beams holding up the rail. Standing in the doorway was my girlfriend, her hair pulled up, dirt on her pants, and a paint can in her hands.
“I know this place needs work but I think a coat of paint will make it feel more like the home you used to know.” She walked past me and into the kitchen.
My hand clutched my shirt and I tried to slow my heart rate down. Looking around this ghost of a place and out into the endless darkness that had swallowed the day, I couldn’t help think she was wrong. The shadows of monsters and hope tackled my sensibility and my hands shook as I walked down the hall, properly accompanying the coiled feeling of dread as my feet followed in the footsteps of my past.
*Original Piece
anything
could be lurking
in the shadows
even though
i know
it’s irrational
for me to think
someone
something
could be creeping close to me
i jump up at the slightest sound
switch on a flashlight
and hope to drown
the thoughts that whisper
don’t you know
anything
could be hiding
in the
dark?
a note, to mummy.
Mummy,
Are you okay?
You're worse than yesterday,
And your face is all grey.
But it's alright,
I'm here by your side,
I promise we'll find a way.
Mummy,
If you're not feeling good,
You should rest, you really should.
Daddy, brother, and I,
We get along just fine.
It's okay to sleep, it's not rude.
Mummy,
Why do you work like such?
We love you, and thank you very much.
But don't bear all the load,
It's a very very long road.
And the weather you've seen is harsh.
Mummy,
You don't have to be perfect.
I don't have a lot of tact,
But I need to tell you,
Stop being a fool.
It's okay to not be okay,
That's a fact.