Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Descent [poem]

Note: This poem was published in Rigorous, an online journal edited and written by people of color, in Volume 1, Issue 2.


Light strikes the eye’s pupils—contraction 
Striking pain in the pinprick fore of the head 
Like lightning colliding with a tree 
Turning it charred 
Black 

Onomatopoeia 
Of colors—surging red rushing thunderous dome 
            Boom booming of heart drum in ear caverns 
            Angry welts of purple green vision 
            Red hot rage fizzing soda pop 
Vibrating buzz of internal machine like 
            angry hornets’ nest dropped on concrete 

The sour taste of yellow on the flesh 
As lovers peel off each other 
Slicked sweat and sultry 
The piercing A-sharp scream of cat 
            Shaking earthquake vibrations 
            Through bones and up spine, unsteady 
            Juddering arm joints, quaking finger sticks
Thunderous crash of bullet leaving barrel 
Spouse / partner / husband / wife 
No silencer—ringing alarms in ear domes 
Crimson ricochets off the walls and the 
White white sheets splattered 
            Entrails like roadkill sick 
Swimming vision fading orange green blue navy 
Blackness 

Gentle kiss of glowing gold on lids of optical receptors 
Tight hug from belted arms white wrapped about 
            Cold body 
            Of ghost, whiteness like clouds, ephemeral mist 
            Lightness of body floating floating 
Into ozone 
Blissed nap in padded box, dessert pills of happy woozy 
Love love love 
Comfort and hazy drawing closed curtains of gray dark 
            Coming through the other side of shadow
            This descent into madness 



www.deviantart.com/3mmi/art/Immortally-Insane-185674487