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Board Administrator Username: mjm Post Number: 3435 Registered: 11-1998 |
Honorable Mention These Nightmares M. Kathryn Black These Nightmares 1. In a blocky building there are misunderstandings. I am persecuted, taken into a corner and beaten. The rough knees of violence hit me under my chin, and I wonder–these people were once my friends, but now they use the broken pieces of my heart to cut my face and belly until I bleed, until I cry. Then homeless I lie upon a highway of dirty rags. It is soft here and a daemon keeps me company, tells me how I’ve been ill used, that there’s no hope for such as us. I want to sink into a dark oblivion, but there’s a child crawling too near the edge, and I reach out to her and save both of us. 2. I am the careless woman who drives without looking. In my own bedroom I dance with a candle heedless of the wax dripping upon tables, quilts, and pillows. The flame is a sprite that jumps from my hand onto the table-cloth. I try to crush her, but she splits in two again and again; I never knew fire was so whiley. The room fills with white smoke; I know I can contain this flaming harradin. Now I am the one who jumps wielding a bolster finding she has gone into the mattress, hidden behind the bookshelf. I am frantic with worry; others live in this old building. Should I call for help? I am speechless as a trail of embers whirl from the walls. |
