Slipping Away…

Moonlight, alone in silence ascending my

Stairs once more, below the stars waves

Crash upon a white sandy shore. On the

Hillside my garden too is silent I look out

Over the sea, alone, a star shooting across

The sky, an invisible hand, a fireball thrown.

I wait in the dark, between space and space,

I lift my hands to my face. Who am I, my

Name is unknown to me, I look into the

Mirror yet my eyes cannot see.

The flesh is pallor and pale, the wrinkles…

Each with a story to tell. Hair, white, long

Tied up in a bun…I would leave this place

Nevertheless, I have nowhere to run.

A mournful melody spins in my brain, a tune

That I cannot recall…roses to smell and

Mouths to kiss, in a locked room I hide

From it all. Never will I feel rain drops on my

Cheeks, it is the shadow of death that I try

To cheat.

The heavens are dark and deep, I will forget

These things before I slip into a silent sleep.

From this room I can hear the ocean roar, rain

Falls and dead gutters come alive once more.

Yes, I will forget all of these things before I slip

Into a silent sleep.

ann johnson-murphree