Once upon a time...
Pay attention, night walker.
In the corner of your gaze is a dance of bones.
Can you see it?
Insomnia puts its spider's foot on your heart.
Look there in the memory box:
There's a happy, hallucinated child who smiles for the flash
With his eyes closed and his teeth as white as stars.
What happened to that boy?
Where are the colors of the morning and the jumping song of the crickets
And the slippery frogs he caught in his hands?
Where is the panther that visited him in his dreams
Like an ancient god of gleaming blood?
What happened to courage, what happened to grace,
Where did the fighting fire go?
On the edge of silence a story is told in a broken voice
It's a sad story of ancient sand and salt,
It's a story of ashes in the mouth...
And it lasts forever.
I leave for the kindness of your readings a poem written for the exciting challenge proposed by the team of @TheInkWell in its eighth week edition.
I am grateful for the opportunity to solve a writing exercise that was as complex as it was pleasant to perform, even though the emotions it evokes are not pleasant in themselves. Poetry sometimes forces us to explore dark places. Here you can access the call. I highly recommend it.
PROCESS
Gracias por la compañía. Bienvenidos siempre.
Beautiful! I especially love this:
Where are the colors of the morning and the jumping song of the crickets
And the slippery frogs he caught in his hands?
Where is the panther that visited him in his dreams...?
You remind me in a good way of that song from Fiddler on the Roof (where is the little girl I carried, where is the little boy at play). Then again, with ashes and bones, you may have a darker message here. Even so, I love it.
Thank you, @carolkean. Your reading excites me and your kind words make me happy. Indeed, apart from the nostalgic evocation of childhood, there is a message that points to a darker ending.
I loved your visit. Welcome always.
Great poem! How close we are, both to our robust childhoods and our cold graves. Close to the terrors and the joys. It's all right here in our minds. Why the self importance? Why the guilt and the striving for worth? Someday, and this is inevitable, it will all be ashes. Nice work!!!
Thank you very much for your reading and your reflection. It is always a privilege to know that someone appreciates what we write.
Your comment makes my night happy.
You're always welcome.
Qué hermosura, @adncabrera. Me conmovieron tus poéticas imágenes.
Muchas gracias, @alidamaria. Es muy grato verte activa nuevamente. En breve iré a ver tu participación. Mucha suerte. 🌸