I've Seen Phantoms

I’ve seen phantoms; heard them moan
on a boat where I’m alone
shadows when you see them
make you lose your mind

many men just walk in dreams
many live just as it seems
others lie below the rim
and slowly suffocate.

to those of us who live below
in the place the black winds blow
deeper than the fields we know
darkness has a face

water flows round every place
every country, every state
I’ve seen women drowning and
I couldn’t drag them up.

when a woman looks at me
to say she’s doing it for free
I’ve seen empty sockets where
both her eyes should be.

children tell me there’s a way
to live alone in endless day;
night belongs to adults. we
tread upon barbed wire

I see dressed corpses play war games
as others watch the rolling names
how can so many people fail
to see through walls of stone

when you’re looking deathly ill
there’s always daddy’s little pill
if that fails the cupboard
always hides the razor blade

there’s a place where mothers groan
for their sons who won’t come home
they rest in peace-less sands abroad
they’ve lost their pointless lives

I see diners sitting down
in pairs, all wearing blood-soaked gowns
I don’t know what they’re eating
if not the unseen guest

sometimes I run with liquid heat
sometimes I’m floating down the street
sometimes I feel I have to cut
I’ll blame it on my folks

I’ve seen phantoms; heard them talk
on a raft where vampires walk
shadows when you see them
are as real as stone

------------------

This poem goes with THIS ARTWORK

Add your comment

You need to login or signup to add your comment to this work.