Crystal chandelier of mine.
I love your sparkle and shine.
You bring back memories long gone
when life hadn’t been so far gone.
Remember the parties we used to host?
Fancy guests arriving from coast to coast.
Music and laughter were the rules of the day.
But now all that is left are the bills to pay.
THE VELVET ROOM
I enter the room of blood-red walls.
I pass the velvet furniture
and step in front of the mirror.
The lamps on either side flicker.
The glass turns foggy
until I can’t see my face.
Mist swirls around my features
like snakes roaming a corpse.
The fireplace at my feet sparks.
Heat suffuses my body,
beginning at my feet.
The fog clears in the mirror.
The face doesn’t belong to me.
An old woman’s face.
She has my features and eyes,
but she’s wrinkled and bony.
A smile lifts the corners of her mouth.
I touch my mouth.
I’m not smiling.
An arm in the mirror
wraps around her scrawny neck.
A snap.
Her head tilts at a strange angle.
Lifeless stare past me.
A hand touches my shoulder.
I scream and run from the room.
Laughter follows me from the house.
I will never return.
by Susanne Leist
The castle sits in the woods,
its walls filled with memories.
Sounds of laughter and music
float in the still air.
Whisps of smoke hover
between the trees.
A soft shadow in the wind
settles beside me.
A tap on my shoulder.
A sigh in my ear.
I know who it is.
Goodbye, my love.
We’ll be together again soon.
Crystal chandelier of mine.
I love your sparkle and shine.
You bring back memories long gone
when life hadn’t been so far gone.
Remember the parties we used to host?
Fancy guests arriving from coast to coast.
Music and laughter were the rules of the day.
But now all that is left are the bills to pay.
// stairs // middle of 2014 // panasonic dmc-zs15 (by Georg Nickolaus)www.azurgrau.com
Lead me far away from the darkness.
Up these stairs, I will find my way.
I’m tired of living in this sadness.
Time to scope out a new day.
As I climb, the light taunts me.
It hits me square in the eye.
I squint as I try to see.
I must spread my wings and fly.
I’m thrust into a party at full throttle.
The sounds of laughter and music cocoon me.
I find life outside instead of a bottle.
I fly free and far away from the old me.
Let’s walk the halls once more.
Give new life to the building.
Time to open the blinds.
Clean out the cobwebs.
Footsteps will ring on the stairs.
Echoes will sail through the rooms.
Laughter will light up the rooms
That time has left behind.
In a quiet spot.
On a soft chair.
In the sun’s spotlight.
I will read a book.
Eyes wide open.
My mind set to explore.
Sunlight streaming in.
I will read a book.
Hands trembling.
Tears falling.
Sun warming my body.
I will read a book.
Blackness beckons.
Fingers grab for me.
Teeth rip at me.
Fish beside me.
Laughter rains down.
The Dead below.
A cold hell for me.
I am lost.
THE DEAD GAME
THE SEARCH
In the quiet summer night,
Light shining from a great height,
A search until morning light.
We hold strong with all our might
That we find what we’re searching for,
Before night ends and 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.
Crystal chandelier of mine.
I love your sparkle and shine.
You bring back memories long gone
when life hadn’t been so far gone.
Remember the parties we used to host?
Fancy guests arriving from coast to coast.
Music and laughter were the rules of the day.
But now all that are left are the bills to pay.
SUSANNE LEIST 