Newton's Cradle

Sleep is where I find the worlds that want to exist.

I.

I dreamt of a skeletal landscape

that I once called home.

I could see dead olive clouds,

the last breath of Atlas,

as if the sky was decaying, 

the earth itself in rigor mortis.

My lungs breathed heavy in a noose of forsaken air

beneath where once there might have been some kind of God

shaking his head in awe

at what we could accomplish.

Even at the world’s ellipsis

the people around me seemed to continue

as if their life sentence

wasn’t grammatically disastrous.

I awoke from it all

having no disasters left.

Just spaces between words

from which to continue.

II.

Dayna kept the lights on in her dream journal

for fear of relinquished nightmares.

She had every reason to believe

that she was worth her weight in fire

Perhaps, the next time she woke up

standing on the edge of her rooftop

she would be an angel before she hit the ground.

She writes, I am always searching for something.

III.

I am not all the little things that remind you of me.

I was never the vapor.

I was always the heat.

There is an audience of dust, and stone, and landscape

where my shadow waits for you.

It’s alright to take your time.

Bring your breath.

Set the stage with every step.

Your tumbleweed heartbeat

is going to wander

until it reminds you of me.

I was never the dream.

I was always the dreamer.

Dying will be your greatest performance.

Survival will be your masterpiece.

IV.

There is always some kind of wound on me…

V.

You refuse to let go of what hurts you most

as though somehow

they validate you.

And such a belief 

might make it true.

I wish you could walk with me in my dreams

so you can see

that what I can imagine

is not limited to

what I can produce.

VI.

...I am always healing.

I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.

VII.

Close your eyes and count to courage.

I won’t be gone for long.

I’m coming back as autumn leaves

and impossible colors we cannot see.

I'm coming back as carnivorous galaxies,

star collisions we'll never know about.

I'm coming back as discord,

as the smell of distant thunder,

and the sensation of sneezing.

I'll be coming back

so alive.

VIII.

Start.

A breathing moment of coherency.

It fades seamlessly into a shuffle of thoughts

into a timeless dreamlike vision

into a dulling pulsing unconsciousness…

and then a start again.

My body wanting to sleep.

My mind refusing to let it.

I drift into ellipsis…

Author's Note

I'll meet you on the other side.

Reviews

[Heather]

I read up to V. then had to stop because I literally pounded my hand on the table and shouting YES, this poet, this GREAT man, CAN write! Then I went back to read the rest with my face as close to the screen as I could get. Your dream state is a genius Masterpiece. I have to keep this, I have so much more I want to say, but instead…just…thank you

[GunMetal]

Wow, thank you so much =)
I'm quite flattered! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[Ruth]

Oh - my - God! lol
Hon...this propelled me into infinite wanderings...I have to agree with Heather's Musings..I enjoy your work, I read and then pause, return to read and then pause, the re-read :)
All because your work is a kick to the hollow, to the senses, a reel of mastered and powerful metaphor woth rawness that I admire :)
To do so in parts like this conveys a clever stance!
Amazing!
xoxo

[GunMetal]

Thanks Poppy! =)
"Kick to the hollow," that is an awesome description, and it put that A Perfect Circle song in my head :D

[Ruth]

Most welcome love! Your work rocks! ♥

[EMMIE]

Aw, hell! How did I get here? And I read it all too. So, this is really creative, textbook...any kind of book worthy, it should be published. It's not easy to write like this and it takes skill and creativity and you got it! Great stuff! I have been entertained.

[GunMetal]

Can't say how you got here; perhaps you should have made a left turn at Albuquerque =P
I'm glad you liked it. Thank you.

[EMMIE]

Ha ha I got lost somewhere along the way and ended up on your page but good thing I did bc read this wonderful work =D

[MOON]

Excellent write so much wisdom here it's like a mixed bag of lines telling so many stories , what I can imagine is not limited to what I produce, striking .

[GunMetal]

I was definitely going for that. In the same way that one's dreams might be a mishmash of stories. Thank you.

[_mal]

Epic

[GunMetal]

Word. =)

[Crazy Cat Man]

the beauty of sleep. u rarely write stuff and post but when u do. its a killer :)

[GunMetal]

Thanks man. Yea, I have a slow pen, haha. I'm glad you like it.

[afra]

wow awesome poem ....i love it ...well done

[Destinyxi]

You're so good at describing, I don't know how many times I told you haha but damn I mean it. You're so good, it's unreal. Very nice poem!

[Lina Grey]

I love all the clever little puns and unusual allegories you have here. It's very abstract and tortuous, a genius work of art. Thank you.

[GunMetal]

Tortuous; I like that word. Thank you for this kind review.

[Corset]

It's in my library, I could go on all day about how sensational every single line shows off your genius, and talks to me in landscapes, but i'll just say it's in my library as favorites, what better applause can one give? Please consider this a standing ovation.

[GunMetal]

Thank you Corset, that means a lot to me. =)