Dream waltz

NaPoWriMo Day Twenty-Four. Loosely on-prompt. 

once u-pon

one half moon

here we sleep

Hyp-nos' boon

in these hours

dreams they keep

back the dark

things that creep

but this night

some-thing breaks

thoughts leak in

our mis-takes

what is this

bloom that swirls

lifts us out

spreads in whorls

each of us

trapped in time 

can't quite mesh 

sense with rhyme

two by two

then they come

up from hell 

make us numb

screams we cry

as we sink

pulled from view

past the brink

could we stay 

must we go

through the fire

down be-low

The poison has been drunk

NaPoWriMo Day Twenty-Three

The poison has been drunk -

a sweet and malicious brew. 

The ship will soon be sunk. 

Don't hurry, no rush to pack a trunk,

there's nothing left now to do - 

the poison has been drunk. 

A wavering voice may try to debunk 

this as rumor, nothing close to true, 

but indeed the ship will soon be sunk. 

Men have tried and failed, their ego shrunk

to dead and angry things - for them, too, 

the poison has been drunk. 

No land left to run to, no precious hunk

of earthen heaven, complete with view.

The ship will soon be sunk. 

No more heroes, no hooded monk, 

no last chance leap or fated coup. 

The poison has been drunk, 

and now the ship will soon be sunk. 

Sistence

NaPoWriMo Day Twenty-Two

So you've finally done it,
built yourself a crown of splinters.

Comfortable, are we?  
I'll get used to it - 

dribbling blood
can only blot out so much.
As ever, life will go on.
What kind of life?

The kind I deserve, I suppose. 

The kind I never dreamed

I'd ever be subjected to - 

but it turns out that some things

are more inevitable than we hope. 

So fully defeatist it is, then? 

In the face of all of this, 

everything you could ever

gesture broadly at, 

you'd settle in and make a home? 

No. Some things cannot be held

at arms length, and for those  

we have... alternative means

of solving serious problems. 

Intriguing. Seems like a lot

of spunk and determination 

for someone who insists 

on listing into the sunset

like an unrepaired sailboat.

Don't get clever. These are 

entirely different circumstances.

Oh, sure, of course. In that case, 

let's see if we can kill 

two problems with one bullet. 

Only question - which caliber?

Oh please, with such frivolous 

instigation. Do better. 

You first. 

What type of water are you?

NaPoWriMo Day Twenty-One

I. 

Tide pool

is for when

you're feeling isolated

and temporary,

but perhaps also

more interesting

than usual, on account

of all the new things

you learned

scrolling Instagram

this morning.

II. 

Strait best applies

to very specific

circumstances, but also

to far more 

varied happenings

than you might think - 

it is the catch-all

of nature's maritime

dividing lines, 

not quite unique

at all. 

III.

You might consider

lagoon for those moments

when a barrier

feels appropriate, 

such as

if you'd prefer

that Alex from

three cubes over

not share the stories

of his inauspicious

romantic enterprises

at 8:24 in the morning.

IV.

If the heaviness

of mankind's

myriad misadventures

begins to chip

your armor, 

perhaps canal 

would not be 

the appropriate choice - 

best not

to dwell on it

any further. 

V. 

In the mood

to mingle?

Then estuary

fits the bill - 

intertwining

disparate realms, 

in a way that 

feels productive

and natural.

But be warned, 

such machinations

are often fragile.