Friday The 13th

I wake up to find I’m laying on a bed of nails,

The only puncture wounds

Form a pentagram at the heart of my chest.

 

The newspaper left at my door

Is made of parchment paper,

The obituaries written in red,

Mine at the top of the list

Written in stone.

 

Freshly brewed coffee is bitter cold

And tastes like death warmed over.

 

A cloudless sky is pale grey

And the sun reminds me

Of a crimson tear.

 

Goose bumps turn to thorns

Leaving my rose bush naked and scared.

 

A stray black cat stops in his tracks

So I can read it’s mind,

“Don’t cross my path or I will have bad luck.”

 

To which I replied,

“But you have nine lives.”

 

“No, oh no”, Shirks the cat,

“ I gave them away to the devil

In exchange for your soul

You lost in a card game

To one of his minions.”

 

“But if I have no soul,

how am I still alive?”

 

“Because you are now nothing 

But a puppet being led by your strings.”

 

“But I love my free will.”

 

The cat just smirked,

“That is the price you paid

For playing with an angel's fate.”

 

Before I could reply

He turned into a puff of smoke

And drifted up my nose,

Suddenly I felt a release.

 

I heard a child like laugh,

Looking around, I realized it was me.

 

The rest of the day I spent

Playing tag with the shadows

That normally chase my mind.

 

Then I realized they were

Playing me like a fiddle

So I beat them like a drum.

 

I became so empowered

That I lost sight of the moon

Till he stabbed me in the back.

 

Life drained out of me

As the clock struck midnight,

Leaving me with the heartache

Of not thanking the cat

For saving me with his lives.

 

Reviews

[Ghost of Jupiter]

Although I love cats, I have a hard time loving those all black ones with creepy eyes. You crafted this poem to capture the eeriness about this dreaded day well. Good work, Cowboy. :)

[The Rock And Roll Cowboy(REBEL WITH A CAUSE)]

Why thank you so much, you know I always value your thoughts on my poetry cause I love your work.

[Ghost of Jupiter]

well, thank you... it is always a pleasure to read yours as well. :)

[Rita L. Sev]

Ooh! Vividly sinister, Dale! A great piece for the triskaidekaphobic!

[The Rock And Roll Cowboy(REBEL WITH A CAUSE)]

Vividly sinister, why thank you so much :)

[Tree]

We have a way of giving this day its power, I know I do. I'll never forget, I was around 7 and my brother, 4, and we were racing our Big wheels around a block when a midnight black cat crossed our paths, green/yellow livid-eyes, like fire, and almost immediately my brother crashed his Big wheel into a wall. And me? I didn't crash, but my rear wheel fell off. Those things, were brand new. When I bring this up to my brother, he remembers, and trust me, my brother does not give the past much thought. But he, remembers that.

Way to honor this day with a story of your own, Dale. Thank you for sharing.

[The Rock And Roll Cowboy(REBEL WITH A CAUSE)]

well thank you for sharing that story, very interesting… there is deeper meaning in the poem but I wanted to entertain people as well with a story. Appreicate the feedback

[Benita-Staebell M - Kin..]

Quite interesting I love it.

Now don't believe in bad luck or
black cats being bad luck I had
one as a child he was so Beautiful
my best friend and he was my Good luck charm
of like a guardian angel.



I loved these lines.

A cloudless sky is pale grey

And the sun reminds me

Of a crimson tear.



Goose bumps turn to thorns

Leaving my rose bush naked and scared.



Blessings. kindred poet

[The Rock And Roll Cowboy(REBEL WITH A CAUSE)]

Why thank you so very much for such a wonderful and in-depth review…. so very kind of you.
Blessing to you as well.

[Benita-Staebell M - KindredPoet]

you're very welcome. it's my pleasure always. blessings. kindred poet