The castle sits in the woods.
Memories fill its walls.
Echoes of laughter
vibrate the still air.
Whisps of smoke float
between the trees.
A transparent shadow
settles beside me,
with a tap on my shoulder,
a sigh in my ear.
With a wistful smile, I say,
“Goodbye, my love.
We’ll be together again soon.“
Each night a woman appears.
Her shadow floats across the dimly lit garden.
The wind whistles in her wake.
One night, she doesn’t appear.
What happened to her?
I still wait.
A shadow passes.
More shadows follow.
They circle a gazebo.
The shadows take form.
Humans in hooded robes.
A woman hangs from a noose.
They circle faster.
The wind follows in their wake.
Cries fill the night.
Then silence.
The gazebo stands empty.
Another night in Oasis, Florida.
THE DEAD GAME
WHAT DO YOU SEE?
The mind is complex.
It stores information.
It reasons.
It’s also creative.
I see a butterfly and its shadow.
What do you see?
Cape Cod July 2013_-60 (by jackfrench)
Sunset brings shadows with the night.
Birds of prey take off in dark flight.
Hues of red fill the night air.
High-pitched howls sound too near.
Residents hide behind locked doors.
Is that blood seeping through the floors?
The forest rumbles with song and laughter.
Night parties filled to every rafter.
Limousines line the path to the glass house
Glass statues watch them, quiet as a mouse.
Dancing halts at the strike of midnight,
Twirling figures freeze in the moonlight.
THE DEAD GAME
Shadows fill my room.
I’m going to swoon.
It looks like a woman.
But not at all human.
The town is scary.
It’s getting hairy.
Florida isn’t all fun.
Not a walk in the hot sun.
THE DEAD GAME
Dark water.
Night comes slowly.
Footsteps fall softly.
A cat meows.
Footsteps move closer.
I see no one.
A sharp noise by the garbage can.
A splash in the water.
Footsteps resonate louder.
An oar hits the water.
Chains rattle.
I turn around.
A flash of light.
The footsteps halt.
Into the light drifts a gondola.
My true love holds a red rose.
The perfect end to the day.
Walk with me?
It calls to me.
It flickers.
It winks.
It watches.
It waits.
Who goes there?
Keeper of the night.
Hidden in the dark.
Gatherer of nightmares.
The abyss for my thoughts.
I must follow.
I must see.
I won’t yield to the darkness.
paul caponigro
MY DEAR SUNFLOWER
Can you grow in the dark,
Or do you need a light?
I will see on a lark
If you grow in the night.
The light grows dim.
Shadows take the day.
I can see you,
Standing up to pray.
Your arms spread out wide.
Your face to the moon.
You never need to hide.
It will be the day soon.
When night comes softly
On feet as light as air,
I can see clearly
Of what I shouldn’t care.
Alone on this hilltop
With the embracing cold,
Boundaries cannot stop
Me from being so bold.
I want to look at the night,
Gaze out into the unknown,
Dare to dream of my flight,
And dream of where I have flown.
Secrets hidden in darkness,
Beneath a cloak of despair.
Shadows roaming in blackness,
A striking and deadly pair.
At night I can roam free
And sail forth on gossamer wings.
Be all that I can be
No matter what the dark night brings.
SUSANNE LEIST 