Alison Scarpulla
Alone with my thoughts.
Lost in my dreams.
Darkness in my soul.
A deserted forest.
Empty of people.
Devoid of sound.
No movement.
No sunlight.
Only endless trees.
My thoughts ring
Loud and clear
In this empty void.
SLEEP FOR THE WEARY
The sun peeks through
a canopy of trees.
A blanket of color
protects me with leaves.
I’m sheltered with
soft petals of pink.
Like velvet sheets
splattered with ink.
A bed in the petals
offers rest for the weary.
I give a sigh of contentment
as my eyes grow teary.
A path through the forest,
covered with fallen trees and tangled shrubbery.
Bushes shake.
Animals scurry into hiding.
Leaves fall.
Birds flee.
I must find my way home.
Darkness envelopes the path.
I can’t move.
Vines twirl around my feet.
I’m trapped.
The forest has taken me.
The green hides inside
With unspoken pride.
It comes at night,
Growing in might.
A fine mist falls first
As trees drink from thirst.
They swallow the green whole
By forming a deep hole.
As the fairies alight on leaves,
I need out of here, pretty please.
Sherbrooke Forest | By Penny Whetton
THE FALLEN
Tree branches bend,
scarred by age.
Beaten by the storm,
many hit the ground
amid piles of leaves.
Without a proper burial,
no one mourns their loss.
The fallen won’t be forgotten
as replacements take root
in the shade of the tall trees.
Sunshine filters through the forest,
lighting the way for the future.
“Walk with me through the moonlit forest.
Let our feet graze the tips of the grass,
never touching down,
held aloft by our love and passion.
Follow me through the endless night
to a land where no man walks.
Only creatures as dark as the sky
dare to venture forth alone.
Love has no bounds or shackles.
We will be free to display our passion,
without retribution from humanity
as long as you remain mine.
Come with me, my ice princess.
Step away from the burning plains,
where the heat burns your soles
and love is hampered by the living.”
Wolf holds his hand out for me.
The words flow from him.
His lips never utter a sound,
but his meaning as clear as can be.
We can be together forever more.
But the other has followed us to the clearing.
He will try to take me back
and never give up his hold on me.
His eyes burn red with passion.
Fire follows close on his footsteps,
scorching a trail through the grass,
melting his enemy’s cold trail.
They face each other.
Hot and cold from opposite poles,
dueling until the end of time
as they fight to the death.
Our games have just begun.
THE DEAD GAME
FEEL THE GREEN
A seat on a bench is what I seek,
But a veil of green taunts for a peek.
It pulls me deeper into the maze.
I follow in a dark kind of daze.
Squawks and shrieks call to me
As I try to break free.
Branches wrap tight around my neck.
On my cheek, I feel a light peck.
I look up to eyes so blue and true.
I cannot believe it’s only you.
I’m in my bed safe and sound
With no horror to be found.
How did I come to be here?
Cold wraps around me in fear.
No matter how far I walk,
I can hear them move and talk.
Muttering curses on me
with faces, I cannot see.
They surround me on each side.
There’s nowhere for me to hide.
I must get out of here soon.
Before the next full moon.
The landscape is cold and bleak.
I’m beginning to feel weak.
Ice is melting in my shoes.
I’m getting the winter blues.
I can’t find my way out of here.
I had thought the town was so near.
I’ve been walking for days.
I’m in some kind of daze.
There’s a break in the rocks ahead.
I hope they didn’t leave me for dead.
My friends have to come back for me.
Rocks and trees are all I can see.
My friends are in the park playing ball.
I didn’t have to be afraid at all.
THE SEARCH
In the quiet summer night,
Light shining from a great height,
A search until morning light.
We hold firm with all our might
That we find what we’re searching for,
Before the night ends, shuts the door.
We need to find her before it’s too late.
We refuse to leave this up to mere fate.
A shout, a cry is heard in the dark.
It must be her alone in the park.
The light shines on her pretty face.
She sees us and picks up her pace.
She is crying and laughing at the same time,
A perfect ending to this story of mine.
