In The Dark

A journey of hope

i open my eyes

but still see nothing

i step into the void

but still i do not fall

there is no escape the darkness

that engulfed my world 

the day you drew your light from it

So i close my eyes

and wait for the warmth

i wait expectantly

for my dreams to return you

But blackness fills my night

as frost settles on my heart

the time has come to leave you behind

There is a fire in the distance

that promises love and hope

all i need is the path of least resistance

across the void which beckons me

and the darkness that knows my name

might i chance the fall?

in fear i turn away

in hope i glance back once more

again in fear i turn away

longing bids me turn around

what once was light

now is dark

my hope decays into blackest night

my soul crumbles within me

my love turns to ash in my mouth

upon the ground i see

the feintest glint

i fall to my knees

reaching for what i see

a shard of hope remains wedge into the ground

i reach out for it

it pierces my finger

as blood flows i cry out

can hope cause pain?

The ground beneath me quivers

something lives in the depths

Again i reach for the shard

it has grown a little and my fingers find purchase

again it slips from my grasp

slicing through my skin

the wind stirs and pushes against me

it is frigid and picks at my skin

my eyes water as i reach down once again

the shard has grown

its crystalline surface now smooth

but its edges sharp

my grip tightens around it

the edges glide through my skin

blood seeps out through the wounds

dripping onto the stone

The stone shudders this time

and a low groan resonates through the air

the beast has awoken

the black night grows impossibly darker around me

yet the shard grow in size

it glow intensifying yet unable to penetrate the darkness around us

i pull on the shard with the last of my strength

the edges, ever sharpening, find my bones

pain exits my mouth in a scream

for a moment i hear it

then it is gone

absorbed by the dark

the shard shifts

i hear a crack

the shard has bitten into my bone

again i scream

tears running down my face

one last heave

my bones break

a loud crack

and a thud

the shard pulls free of the rock

the ground shakes violently

the all around me crevasses open like mouths

the sound of death and fear pours out like lava

the shard is hot in my hands

yet I do not burn

my bones return to their places 

and my wounds shut

the dark cries out and flees

the light grows before me and surrounds me

crevasses shut their mouths and hold their tongues

the skies tear open and light breaks in

the rocks split and great oceans rise to beat upon the new shores

the wind once cold and bitter now blow gentle and warm

the sun returns to his rightful place to command the skies

and the moon to be his bride in the night skies

I hold the shard to my chest

feeling its warmth fill me

it begins to soften like dough

then without warning it turns to water and covers my body

seeping into my skin

a warmth like I have never felt fills me from head to toe

from skin to the very depths of my soul.

I am free.

Reviews

[cinel]

This is a great job, lts lovely, i love this.

[Bradley G. Patterson]

Thanks a lot!

[Peacegal]

Amazing words and imagery, this is beautiful.

[Bradley G. Patterson]

Thanks so much!

[Angad Waraich]

Dark and great imagery.
The struggle you portray in this piece is great.
A really nice read.

Thank you for sharing.
-Angad

[Bradley G. Patterson]

Thanks you mate. WIll read through some of your work later tonight.

[Angad Waraich]

Oh, thank you too then cheers!
And once again a job well done.

[Girl With A Pen]

"the shard is hot in my hands
yet I do not burn
my bones return to their places
and my wounds shut"

Beautifully dream like. Almost haunting. I really enjoyed this :) Great job

[Bradley G. Patterson]

Thank you! I'll take a look at some of your work later tonight when I get home.

[T]

Dark and descriptive, capturing the intense pain of the process of letting go. I really liked this!

[Bradley G. Patterson]

Thank you! Most appreciated!

[Kristan A. Mohammed]

this is a very cool poem. Very dark in imagery. But truthfully, hope sometimes does hurt.
I love how the ABC rhyming scheme reflects on the uncertainty of the persona. Very good work.

Thanks for sharing.

[Bradley G. Patterson]

Thanks Kristan. I look forward to exploring some of your work soon. I am still familiarising myself with this site, but should have a solid handle on it pretty soon.

[Samuel Dickens]

Intense and dream-like, with a somewhat primordial feel. Highly creative.

[Bradley G. Patterson]

Thanks Samuel! I really appreciate your comment!