(Raise Your Voice) Things I Never Had (a poem, dedication)

Raise Your Voice

Things I Never Had

Written  February 4th, 2012

I dream of things I never had

On this freezing lonely night

As I cling to this life so fleeting and sad

Without these dreams I’d have no will to fight

And I’d be stiff and cold by morning light

I dream of fields, sprawling and green

Soft plumes of grass beneath weary, cracked foot pads

Forests and skies that stretch to eternities unseen

A family full of love, always glad

Each night a big warm meal to be had

I’ll make it through each long, painful day

On a stomach with no food and a heart with no love

On shaky legs and a mind that’s begun to decay

I’ll survive till dusk touches the grey sky above

So I can sleep and briefly enjoy the things I’ve been dreaming of

*Redemption (a short story)

Redemption

             

            When I woke, I immediately noticed how bright out it was. Usually I woke up in the misty gray hours of dawn, but the air was golden, and the leaves in the upper canopy shimmered in the light, the rain drops they held sparkling like diamonds. The forest was alive with sounds of busy animals rather than the sleepy quiet of daybreak. Through the thick canopy I could make out the position of the sun. I was aghast to see that it was nearly at the peak of the sky. I had slept in for much too long. I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration. I couldn’t afford to sleep in! I had finally started to get ahead of the recusant General Kyzen and his pertinacious tracking hounds, and I couldn’t lose my lead.

            No sooner had I realized my predicament when I heard the sound that made my stomach clench and my hands get clammy with the veriest fear. A chorus of bays and howls shook the woods, ringing in my ears. They could only be a few miles away. Birds chirped frantically and took flight. Oh, if only I could fly away to somewhere safe like them.