Against the wall in a narrow barn,
we finally corner the evil gunslinger
who's been holding us up,
and kill him.

We cautiously approach
the dark puddle of his body
as if it were a tar pit, fearful
he'll resurrect and suck us down.

But only his heart survives.

It lies in the hay, pulsing,
a large yellowish ginseng root.

I am taken aback by the waves
of sadness it radiates,
and its intense desire to die
that becomes a plea,

for an even worse evil than its own
will track it down
and deal it a torturous death.

I do not hesitate, but release the heart
from its misery: with one dead-on shot
it disperses in a soft dark cloud.

The Body Speaks Eloquently of Its Wounds
[3 dream images, recorded over 3 years]

I
Covered in flushed burn scars,
a person cowers by the door,
wanting only to be allowed to stay.

II
The only survivor of the attack
that orphaned her, a child
lies abed, fresh stab wounds
peppering her body.

III
A ballerina flutters alone
in the spotlight, her pale
skin-tight costume dotted
with blood red mouths.

---------

Pegasus Dreaming: http://www.suite101.com/myhome.cfm/PegasusDreaming - Creatively exploring dream, poetry, and Tarot symbols so that they may inspire and nurture our deepest selves.

This Dream Haunts The Day
Patricia Grace Kelly

They try to free her father
from the front passenger seat
of the crashed car,
where he lies bleeding into
a pile of snow

Yearning to help her but afraid,
her father wishes she would come
to him, while he breaks the window
in frustration --

My young dark-haired suitor
proudly displays his own wound:
a small flame, burning
from the center of his palm

Aghast, I smack out the flame
with my gloved hand

On waking I regret my act:
this snuffing out of passion
as it rises sweetly through the debris
of an ancient love
--------

Pegasus Dreaming: http://www.suite101.com/myhome.cfm/PegasusDreaming - Creatively exploring dream, poetry, and Tarot symbols so that they may inspire and nurture our deepest selves.

BEFORE AND AFTER
Patricia Grace Kelly
(new poem, based on an old dream)

Brenda walks up to me, looking as young and fresh
as Dorothy seeking Toto, long before the tornado.

She places a wicker basket on the cold metal
hospital table, that is only a reminder now
of radiation and chemotherapy.
Come, let s go on a picnic she says
in that tone that never failed,
even at the end, to command me.

She folds a red and white checked tablecloth
and puts it in the basket. As she turns around
and almost skips away, I follow.

As I always followed, until at the last, I could only
stand and wait by the final door. Hopelessly wishing
that there were ruby shoes she could click
to take her swiftly and painlessly Home.

Her mood now is infectious. Her dark eyes impish,
as they were before they were clouded by drugs
and fear, before I failed to reassure her
that her cancer was not a punishment from God.

I notice that the landscape has faded completely
away. We are on a smooth road, in a foggy
nowhere space that is not unwelcoming,
a warmthless warmth pervading it.

The weight of days seems lifted. I feel light enough
to simply drift along, if I would let myself.

But now, as before, I keep my spinning fear
carefully hidden. I stop short, allowing only
a small exclamation of surprise to escape me.

She is gone. At my side instead is a tall,
dark gray, cloaked and hooded figure of Death.
He leans slightly over and toward me,
in a confiding manner.

I somehow know there is more to see
down the road ahead, but my fear
is spinning rapidly, threatening to sweep me away.

I am only able to stay in the dream long enough
to hear Death say We had to fool you.
We knew you would not come along otherwise.
And, above all, she wanted you to know
that it is true: you need not be frightened of death.

[Brenda was my dearest friend and roommate, whom I took care
of as she struggled with and died of cancer.]

--------
Patricia Grace Kelly
Pegasus Dreaming: http://www.suite101.com/myhome.cfm/PegasusDreaming - Creatively exploring dream, poetry, and Tarot symbols so that they may inspire and nurture our deepest selves.