A grove of trees

she plays inside

the protective circle

her family dead from disease

she can forget

for a moment inside

the grove of trees

in her sweat shirt and jeans

and sandals meant

for summertime.

Last night I had a dream. In my dream, you were away from me. I was alone, at home. I looked out the window.

I saw a giant tiger in the backyard. I couldn’t believe my eyes. As I watched, I saw baby tigers approach. What a beautiful family, I thought to myself.

I looked away, to call you, to see. I looked back again and I saw a small lion. He grabbed the throat of the tiger with his jaws. He held on. The tiger struggled awhile, then gave up.

He was dead. And the baby tigers were gone.

And that was all.

And nobody else saw.

I walk

an endless hallway.

The floor is broken glass.

I keep walking.

Keep moving

Waiting for the end.

There is no end.

Just darkness.

This hallway is familiar.

I can't quite place it.

In the vast vault of my memory,

It's a hazy blur.

Perhaps a school

One of the many

I've passed through in my life.

I think I might see

the bleak grey lockers.

It's unclear.

My mind cares not about the walls

About the hall

Only the darkness ahead.

I start to feel it

in my feet

The pain. The glass.

I want to stop.

To end the burden.

But I keep walking.

Until the violent shrill

Of my morning alarm

Makes me all too aware

I am dreaming.

The illusion crumbles.

The hallway falls away.

And I am safe in my bed.

I wish I could grasp what it means.

Glazed whispers like cloth

across a sober pond.

A chorus of mantras buried under the surface.

On moonlight's polish

the tide rises.

Leaving nothing but the past behind...

Life long dream,

One that only fails time and time again,

So simple yet completely undoable.,

~

A dream of only wanting to make those around happy,

To see their smiling faces and hear their boastful laughter is what fills hearts with content and peace,

Something one longs to feel always feel,

Yet prays they can cause, a never ending symphony,

How one cannot feel joy yet wishes to spread is quite the mystery,

An ironic conundrum,

~

Perhaps it’s a silly dream,

Wanting to help everyone see the light

While residing in the dark abyss seems completely irrational,

Yet all of ones life, this is all one could ever truly want to make become reality,

More than just a dream,

It’s a life long yearning..

~Emily Marie Stevens~

It’s hard to stay

Woke when I’m

Sleep. Eyes faithfully

Shut to the horrors

I’m witnessing

Each time I

Close my eyes.

Dream filled

Nightmares I’m

Loving the time,

Each one worse

Than the next to

Fuel my dead

Imagination for

Inspiration. I’m

Full and the

Screams stop long

Enough for me

To wake up,

Look around, and

Hold myself so

Tight to the ground.

Never thinking

I wanted to stop

The motion of

Imagination for

Peace of mind.

There once was a girl in Barbados

Who envied her sister’s hair.

She herself wasn’t pretty,

As plain as a pear,

Oh, but she wished herself fair.

In town she heard tale of a witch

Who lived somewhere south in her lair.

It was said she had magic

Most others would scare,

But a wish she could grant, if you dared.

So off in the night the girl went

And found the old witchdoctor’s lair.

“Oh please,” said she,

“My own hair is dull,

And my sister’s cannot be compared!”

The witch coughed a throaty old laugh

And winked an odd eye at her plea,

“Bring her,” said she,

“It’s a simple revision,

If you give me a proper fee.”

“I’ve nothing to give,” said the girl in tears,

“I’ve no gift nor coin to offer.

Is there anything else,

Some food, or some wine,

I can give you instead to be proper?”

“Never mind gifts,” the witchdoctor answered,

“I’ve no use for coins or meals.

Some wine would be nice,

But not for this vice,

When you come, I will ask for my deal.”

So back the girl went to her sister

And sought out the witch the next night.

“What are we doing?”

Asked the dear sister,

“It’s cold and these woods are a fright!”

They soon found the witchdoctor’s hut,

And saw she made two straw dolls.

“These are for you,”

The witchdoctor chuckled,

“Now watch as I fix your qualm!”

They jumped as she tore the straw heads

And switched the dolls’ bodies anew.

Their own heads followed suit,

And they screamed a high tune,

Throats crooked and stitched all askew.

“Now for my fare,” the witchdoctor heckled,

“You’ve gotten your beautiful hair.

All I ask is your service,

From now till the End,

Until Death meets me, if He dares.”

Last night a dream came to me

In layers

Peeling me, plucking me

Like a rose

It was a recurring nightmare

That had come to me

Twice before

In this world

I “woke up” and told my friends of this wretched dream

I woke up once more not sure

Of what was real

A violent breeze on a clouded day

A black shore and obsidian sea

I lay on infinity

Surrounded by obsidian eternity

But my eyes remain closed

For they shall not open

Lights bursts through the clouds

A divine body seeps through

I do not know how, but I know it is you

Oh, magnificent sovereign

I feel your pale fingers grab my face

I see your green light through the back of my eyelids

Magnificent sovereign

I do not know how

But surely, it must be you

My face begins to burn from the heat

I cannot bear to hide my pain

But I wish to see you

"Ghost..."

As soon as the word formed in my head

My eyes awoke but my mind did not open

And there she stood, faceless like a blank piece of paper

Her white dress making up the shape of her body

Her wraithe arms almost not there;

They said I had to move my pinky finger

But in my paralysis, my arms were boulder-heavy

They said I had to pray

Yet in front of her, the phrases could not even begin

I shut my eyes, instead, hoping

That by the time I open them she'd be gone

But when I did, she only kept getting nearer

Like a phantom in a movie

Only that this wasn't a movie

But my nightmare

I struggled to unsee her

Yet she just narrowed the gap between us

Until she was leaning into me

And I was shouting at the top of my lungs

And I was screaming for help

But my useless muscles would not permit

A sensible sound to escape

Soon I woke up, truly awake

I sprang to a sit

Searched for her

Thought of her

I wished it was like any other dream

The longer you think of it

The fainter the memory becomes

But not her

She lingers.