Legacy Imagined

 

Staring towards God’s lair

The sky like my fireplace;

Cold, dark, empty…

I tilt my head: nothing changed,

Except my point of view.

I close my eyes; clarity becomes surreal,

The sky a glowing amber,

Psychological flames heat my mind

Causing it to rise…

Carried away on a hypnotic breeze.

I shout at the top of my lungs

So my thoughts can ride my vocal hopes

Like a magic carpet, till they become vapor trails.

I freefall; the ocean my safety net,

The tide my salvation,

The shoreline my savior.

My footprints in the sand

Become hot to the touch,

Each step sinking deeper

Till I find myself

Within a foreign basement;

The smell of roses permeates

This damp structure,

Somehow unsettling to my senses

My stomach tightens

Like a hangman’s noose.

A flicker, then a flash;

A spotlight then accents a table

With a game of poker in progress…

I’m compelled to join.

Five card draws the game;

E.A. Poe to my left,

The lizard king to my right…

All my cards; ace of spades

Still I win the hand;

A gust of wind,

I open my eyes…

The sky is blue

My face pale white.

Reviews

[Bare trees]

If I didn't know any better I'd say you had one hell of an lsd trip. Or was it acid, Mushrooms? Just a dream? Whatever it was, you explained it well and it seemed to go by pretty fast which shows how engrossed I was. To be sitting next to those guys would be somthing. Good job.

[closed account]

This is definatley very different from you, I like how
you challenged your self, you did right? it was dark
scary and depressing.. yet in the end you find your
truth.. you find your light!! very deep and scary!!

[Wicahpi]

No matter what hand is dealt you live to see another day; Amen, right?
Even in the darkness, when all seems bleak...there's a rose to remind us
there is a true beauty in all things (even if we cannot see it or feel it).
We all have our safety net. We all face the hangman's noose, too.
We all want to be remembered as someone worthy of remembering;
to take our place in someone's history book or bio. It's what I feel from
this piece of writing. I think it's full of splendor. I enjoyed it!

[Sheila Kline]

Drawing the best hand in a poker game, sitting next to your heroes says much about what you "see" in your future, what you dream, live for, how you have and will continue to overcome the odds in life!
Much said in this write Dale, and said so very vividly!

[Lauren Beth]

Such nice imagery in this piece...thoughts as a magic carpet and the ocean as a safety net. I too love the poker game that you were destined to win. Strong write as usual, I really really enjoyed it! ;)

[A]

Oh my! I read this twice and I love the imagery and story line. I don't know why but I really like how this wasn't a rhyming poem. Maybe because it's a since change from what I'm used to writing and reading. I also like your word choice and comparisons. GREAT poem :)

[Theresa]

What I love about your poems is that the meaning is never obvious. It's like a game trying to figure out what it's all about. I'm going to take a stab at it. Going with the title Legacy Imagined I believe you are thinking of the legacy that you will leave behind hoping that you could be with the likes of Poe and the Lizard King. That's what I'm getting from it. Regardless of the meaning it is amazingly written and I couldn't help but to read it over again. Thanks for sending me the request I always enjoy your work.

[LisetteCanWrite!]

Wow.. imagining the dream of leaving your own legacy.. sitting next to Poe and the Lizard King.. Jim Morrision.. the high dream of being an ultimate poet or musician and/or wordsmith of high stature.. this is the dream of dreams for so many. In your dream.. drawing all Aces high.. beating those high ranking artists.. that is a pretty surreal dream.. not easily achieved.. but not totally impossible. Happiness is easier having smaller dreams I find.. Your pale face may make it one day..

Poe wrote for many years and from reading your work.. you are a rebel and I definitely see you writing for some time to come.. hope to see more from you this piece was great.. full of fire, desire and inspiration.. that fire comes from dreaming more than achieving.. just beautiful!

[Charles]

I keep reading this poem, looking for a hint at what the legacy is. Doesn't need to have the legacy spelled out, of course, let the reader decide. Great images (the sky as a fireplace, pschological flames heating your mind - these carry through as hot footprints and finally the allusion to Hell (even a flicker and flash). Love the idea of playing poker with Poe (and so close to his birthday) and the lizard king, but think I'd put an apostrophe in 'draws' (as in five card draw is the game). Kudos to you (for the poem and for beating the lizard king).

[cest la vie]

Imagination is what we need in order to make our lives colorful (I hope I am reading this corectly).
You use of imagaery is very nice and I love the card game. Aces High!!
Nicely written, Dale:-)