Paths of Destiny©
The Original Works of "The Rose"
The Dark Side©
Rebirth
By dark of night, by dark of moon,
An eerie silence befalls my room.
Shadows fleeting on my walls,
Footsteps echoing down my halls.
I toss and turn in fitful sleep,
As gloom descends, dark and deep.
A nightmare frenzy of visions pass,
Amid the crescendo of thunder's crash.
Visions of spirits, not at rest,
From north and south and east and west.
From above and below, from all around,
Down from the sky and up from the ground.
Lightning strikes with a fiery blast,
Tortured souls cry out from the past.
Screams of terror, and cries of pain,
Demons appear, then are gone again.
Stumbling blindly, as in a fog,
Suddenly mired, as in a bog.
Frantically struggling to stay alive,
Fighting fiercely to survive.
Trying to recall a time that was sane,
Thoughts are jumbled, all in vain.
To but awaken from fiendish hell,
A whirling dervish, inside a well.
As swimming through a thick morass,
Of evil things, a writhing mass,
Of hissing serpents, and grasping hands,
Desperate to live, defiant I stand.
Deafened by the clamoring throng,
My mind now clear, my resolve is strong.
As skies recede, and seas grow calm,
The air now thick with eerie balm.
I suddenly awaken as from a dream,
In realization, I start to scream.
I know not how, or why, or where,
I only know that I've been there.
Somewhere on the other side,
Reborn, never to have died...
The Rose 827981150am
© 1998/2001 Virgil G. Richards
Forsaken
Whispers of moonlight dance on the ground
Shadows of midnight play all around
And the leaves overhead rustling unseen
Deafened by silence, senses careen
Touched by the breath from a summer breeze
Explosions of spores bring threat of a sneeze
Blinded by insight, premonition of fear
Quickening of pace for a presence is near
A presence unseen but felt on the skin
Unheard, a presence that is felt from within
Could it be conscience, or guilt, or despair?
To escape, hopeless effort, darting here and there
In submission kneeling, slumped to the ground
Restricted by morals, by shadows bound
A soul undeserving, salvation mourned
By actions condemned, society scorned
By demons unwanted and angels shunned
By God forsaken, for deeds that were done.
The Rose 8302001750pm
© 2001 Virgil G. Richards
Transitions
As dark night yields slowly to the rising sun
Reluctant to relinquish it's shadowed hold
It's nocturnal existence suspended by break of day
As warm rays of light disperse chilling cold
And those creatures who would use it's blackest heart
And exploit it's cover so to seek their prey
Must once again wait darkness fall for to hunt
So to their burrows and thickets they hide away
And yet morning light a different world does awaken
Carefree yet vigilant the creatures of day appear
Venturing forth into the light of new existence
Now that the creatures of night breed no fear
Under veil of birdsong they scurry and scuttle
Some dutiful, some playful, some engage in romance
While others hunt and gather food for their family
Some build shelters while others dance
Yet the denizens of darkness lurk ever so near
Their fitful sleep burdened by instinctive vision
Awaiting the coming of the darkness again
To rejoin the hunt and complete their mission
As day wears on into afternoon slumber
Creatures of light nap in shadows of eve
And prepare to retire to their havens of safety
Aware of the dangers the end of day leaves
And caught not will they be a far cry from their home
They scant not sing or prance or play
Too near the lair of a darkness breed
Lest they be fodder at the close of day...
© 2002 Virgil G. Richards
03222002430pm
Reflections Reflections Continued For the Children Memories The Published Works
