Take My Hand

 

Theme: Transformation

Genre: Dystopian

 

That spring, darkness crawled across the land, and laughter disappeared.

King Jacob trudged through the forest of dead sticks. Beyond the Buddha Mountain, the black soil blended into another world, one that didn’t exist. White sandy pathways led him to the waterfall of life. His clothes remained dry as he walked under the pure water. Within the cave, the queen lay in a canopy bed, and translucent fabric covered her body. Crystals formed on the tips of her eyelashes, and her hair was silky white.

An elderly woman sat at her bedside. She lifted her cloak, revealing gray eyes that looked like clouds. “Your Highness.”

He steadied his stance. “How do I save her?”

“The prophecy shows two roads. One where you go forward into the night and one where you tread toward the day.”

“What does that mean?” he asked.

“If you love her, you’ll give up the magic. It has become a crutch for you.”

“I’ll never give it up. It’s the source of who I am.”

She leaned in closer. “You’re labored to its power. It holds the people of your realm as prisoners.”

“It protects them,” he said.

“Even with my blindness, I see a man before me that hides behind the truth.”

“Do not speak to me that way.”

“It is she who holds the price.”

He stared down at the Queen. Her lacy bodice rose and fell with each ragged breath she inhaled. “But if I give it up, then I’ll never see her again.” He dropped to his knees and grabbed the queen’s cold, soft hands. “She is everything to me.”

“Then let her go.”

He unlatched his grip and forced himself to leave.

As he neared the opening of the cave, fog drifted over the hills. Cherry blossoms wilted before his eyes. He no longer heard the trickle of water that once spilled over the boulders above. An eerie quietness lingered in the air.

He couldn’t stop thinking about her. How she danced in the moonlight. How her contagious smile lit up the room. But as he stood at the edge of what was, it consumed him, these memories. One after another floated to the surface. How could he leave her behind?

It was his magic that brought him here. A key to a past that now unlocked destruction among the people. All those who served him suffered. For if he were to return to daily life, what kind of a man would he be? His grief had the lead.

Night after night, he lay in his bed. Nothing was enough anymore. His servants came to check on him, but even they wished for his death. The water was unclean, and the air stagnant with fog, dirty fog that hovered over the land. The magic he held only served one: him.

The doors opened, and in walked a tall man. “Sire, your daughter is calling for you. Shall I tell her you’re busy?”

“Leave me be.”

“Yes, sir.” He closed the doors.

The doors flung open. His daughter rushed in.

“Father, wake up.”

He squinted. “Sarah, please.”

“Don’t you see?”

“There’s nothing to see.”

She drew the curtains. A stream of sunlight beamed onto the marble floor.

Jacob covered his eyes.

She leaned over to kiss him and eased him out of bed. “Come.” She unfolded her small hand like a flower.

He walked toward the window. “There’s nothing out there to see.”  

“Open your eyes.”

Something caught his attention. Her smile. It was like hers. A small seam of light lured him forward. “Yes, I see.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE CHILD WITHIN

 

 

It was in the moonlight that I saw him,

a man younger than my father, sent on

laughter brought by the sight of the train.

 

 

He stood at attention, waving his blue and white cap,

the schoolboy inside leaping out, holding on

to another time.

 

 

With a fierce stride, he ran beside the engine

as it rumbled, black smoke filled the evening sky,

brakes sparked as it changed tracks over the murky river.

 

 

His face mirrored in the silver metal as it wheeled by,

an endless joy radiated from the glare of the railway light.

 

 

As the caboose turned the corner,

the man’s smile faded into reality,

he sunk with displeasure,

onto the rocks beneath the sole of his shoes.

 

 

Minutes later,

he headed across the oiled tracks,

underneath a gray fog,

and disappeared over the hilltop.

 

 

The child within was a working man,

saddled to responsibility,

but tomorrow he’d return,

as the whistle blew and the steel clanged

a midnight song.

 

 

 I wanted it to be a cardinal.

 

 

Ruby feathers that spread from one side of the country to the other. 

 

 

When I looked into his eyes, that were the color of a rose in bloom, I was mesmerized by the wealth of memories it held within.

 

 

As though it had lived many ages where people forgot. They forgot how to flesh out the falseness that poured into their minds.

 

 

No shield was powerful enough to deflect the lies.

 

 

Don’t be fooled by its light stature. The bird soared through wind and rain. Its strength wasn’t on the outside. It was in his actions.

 

 

I wanted it to be a cardinal.

 

 

Or maybe I needed it to be.

 

 

This happened a lot, where I wished something was what it wasn’t. Must be the dreamer in me. Grasping for beauty when beauty doesn’t exist.

 

 

But it was only a small flag. 

 

 

A stick in the ground with a red piece of plastic waving in the breeze to warn people not to dig.

 

 

It started with the morning sun,

it hovered over the earth,

warming it with its wisdom.

But the grey clouds shaded it

from the truth.

 

The ocean rose with great force,

leaving people to wonder.

White caps breaking, shattering,

into pieces that would never

be put back together.

 

How could they heal after such a storm?

Each day melted into another.

Rain poured like tears,

endless tears from the sky.

 

The dark clouds should’ve warned them,

but they came so often.

Forceful wind pushed back the layers

of what they had become.

 

People fled.

There was nowhere to go.

Anger drifted over the land like fog.

When it lifted, everything was gone.

 

Where was the sun?

Where were the stars?

Such light should’ve never faded.

 

Cold.

Brittle pain edged its way through their floating souls.

There was no color.

 

The roaring sea settled down with each breath lost.

Millions never stood again.

The white sand dirtied with fear,

corrupted with lies.

 

Bodies shifted.

The earth cracked.

Lightning struck.

It was too much to swim in.

 

Far from who they were.

Far from their core.

Sewn into a web that kept them there

for an eternity.

 

 

 

Dancing out of the Fire

 

Her heart danced.

She was like light that sifted through time and swayed with thought

Where to? She wondered

 

No one to chase her

She was free

The birds took to flight and lifted her with them

Their wispy feathers brushing up and down, weaving her through the clouds

 

The fire that once burned so long ago

Had been ignited

She created sparks with each flying moment

 

Sounds of spring were coming

She could hear them from far away

They sounded like dandelions that blew in the wind

Bringing wishes

 

A ballet of dreams whispered in her ears

Reminding her that they had been there all along

 

Shades of colors twirled by her

She grabbed on

They lifted her higher and higher

Climbing toward the rays of radiance

 

Memories tucked in small places

But out of the way

 

Her translucent loveliness glowed

She stood on her toes, pirouetted

Spun as gold flakes fell

She was alive

Breathing

Being

Her

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stem by Stem

 

 

When moonlight calls

I’ll be there

When the rain falls

I’ll be there

 

It’s not my duty, it’s my goal

It’s not my fault, it’s in my soul

 

Distance is no longer

I’ll hold your hand this time 

much stronger

 

Bear with me my friend

It’s tough to speak

I won’t pretend

 

Waiting is where were at

It harbors us

So, don’t you fret

 

I’ll be there

When the light shines through

I’ll be there

Always beside you