Death’s Shadows Fill My Mind
By James G. Piatt
On an overcast, moonlit night,
muffled beams of light,
echo moans of grief-stricken
minds tasting mouthfuls of anguish.
A weeping umbra moves slowly
through a single beam of light,
then stands silent in its narrowness
as the aromas of death vibrate
back and forth,
back and forth,
reluctantly,
impatiently.
Ancient pictures
painted on white molded walls
unfold into diluted prayers.
As my eyes weep tears
onto a crimson carpet,
church bells peal
bronze chords of sorrow.
Anachronistic whisperings
sleeping in the murkiness
of long forgotten memories,
become a strain
on the shattered edge
of my emotions. They
mold my thoughts
with unrecognizable metaphors,
until the thunderous drone
of death’s shadows fill
my mind.
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James, an octogenarian, is a twice Best of Web nominee and three time Pushcart nominee, and has had five poetry books, “The Silent Pond,” (2012), “Ancient Rhythms,” (2014), “LIGHT,” (2016),“Solace Between the Lines,” (2019), and Serenity, (2022), over 1740 poems, five novels, seven essays and thirty five short stories published in over 260 magazines, anthologies and books. He earned his doctorate from BYU, and his BS and MA from California State Polytechnic University, SLO.
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