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.
Come and swim with me
By the deep blue sea.
Where fish and dolphins play,
And the sun shines all day.
The ocean sparkles green and blue
Like a wrapped present just for you.
The soft sand is so white and clean.
Perfection has no in-between.
Oasis is perfect to get away.
It is the best place I can safely say.
Except for the desolate night
That might offer us a big fright.
Dark shadows come out from their homes.
The sun uncovers only bones.
What happens at night is a mystery
Along with Oasis’ long history.
Come and swim with me
By the deep blue sea.
Where fish and dolphins play,
And the sun shines all day.
THE DEAD GAME
South Africa’s first-ever Book Hotel, the Royal, in Bethulie
Imagine a place like this.
The perfect hotel of bliss.
Endless books to read.
Nothing else I’d need.
Walls of books everywhere.
All you need is a chair.
Never run out of a book.
Just pick your favorite nook.
Read the day away.
Nothing else to say.
Open a book.
You will be amazed
by what you’ll find.
Your mind will open
to new thoughts and ideas.
A whole world awaits.
I will read you a story.
It might be all too gory
For you to understand
But I’ll give you a hand.
A blight falls on a town.
It’s sure to make you frown.
Residents disappear.
I want to make this clear.
This isn’t a regular place.
Don’t give me that dark face.
It’s a place of evil creatures
And many more creepy features.
Dark shadows stalk the night,
Giving tourists a fright.
Florida can be a scary place.
I will soon pick up the poem’s pace.
The Dead want to kill you.
You’ll be their dinner too.
THE DEAD GAME
Nothing more sad.
Nothing more shameful.
Than a book not read.
A book lost to time.
A closed door.
It can open to many things.
It can lead to a garden of flowers.
It can also lead to unspeakable horrors.
What are you in the mood for?
Do you want pretty flowers,
or do you want to explore the unknown?
The choice is yours.
THE DEAD GAME by Susanne Leist
A VISION
The bookstore is dark.
I turn on the lights.
Rows of bookcases loom tall.
I open the curtains.
The Florida sun flows in through picture windows.
Bright squares fall across the floor.
The perfect spot for comfy couches and chairs.
A counter with stools to the right,
where I would serve coffee and pastries.
Book stacks to the left.
Yes, it’s all coming alive to me.
A bookstore/ coffee shop
in the seaside town of Oasis.
Little did I know of the otherworldly plans
taking place at the same time as mine.
Plans that are in no way
as peaceful and innocent as mine.
THE DEAD GAME
Abandoned Library (by katka.havlikova)
Books sitting on shelves.
Abandoned and deserted.
Knowledge lost.
Potential buried.
The wind sneaks in.
The sun peeks in.
Animals walk past.
Discarded pages.
That no one will read.
No one who cares.
The wind gives a moan.
To read a book
Is to dream.
To think.
To imagine.
What was.
And what could be.
