Here in the dark, I want to think of you,
but thought comes scarce in the dark.
They whisper and moan; they howl for me to
do them mercies. Always, they moan,
and I cannot think with the sound of them
here in the dark, my head full-- Think,
Sandalfas! Your brain still works, you remem-
ber? I am breached, bleeding, but my brain
still functions. I am a Poet. I write.
They are dead but their flesh functions.
Maerin cannot see them. She loses sight,
blade sharp as ever, but here, see?
I've thrust her into Jacob's mold-white eye,
a face I've known that now bites at
my wrist
my wrist
my wrist is bleeding again and my rhyme
lost.
I'll start again. Here in the dark,
they lurk like shadows.
They cry "Sandalfas!" again, "Hark,
Sandalfas! Answer!"
Their faces familiar, I know
them. Faces dead or
lost, but walking, hungry, they grow
hungry again and lunge.
Kiley not-Kiley begs "Poet!
Don't hate me for this!"
My blood in her teeth, I know it's
more than I can spare.
I bleed, I write, my Arm goes numb,
I must think of you.
I must think of you.
Here
in the
dark
my hand
won't write straight.
They eat, they ate
the others.
They hunger, they hunger
and they eat but never sate
their hunger. I thrust, I stab
my blind Arm at them, but
they nibble and gnaw, and
I am losing pieces of myself.
I am losing pieces of myself.
One-eyed Jacob in the dark
begs "Sandalfas, only let me
taste you! Hark, Sandalfas,
brother! I am hungry!"
My v i s i o n greys.
My flesh leaks, I am pouring
into the stone, pouring
my words and my blood onto
these walls in hopes you
will read them, in hopes
you will never read them.
DO NOT COME HERE
do not look
here in the dark, here
I have torn
his jaw and he bites
he bites
he bites
they are dead
they do not die!
Jacob not-Jacob rages, "S A N D A L F A S!
Look at what's been done to me,
Sandalfas!"
Look at what's been done to me.
Here in the dark, I calm myself.
I have lost Maerin in the dark,
and all is dark; I cannot see,
but I hear them. Kiley, sweet Kiley,
croons for me. She croons
I yearn my fingers
can't ccccontrol
the m sel ves
my blood flows slower now
staunching.
if if if if if if
I can just find my way to
the mouth of the cave.
the cave
is full of hunger and
Jacob and KileY and
the others theY hunger
and
by
all
that
is
s t i L L
good
in
this
god-daMNed
world
I huNGEr too.
here in the dark
i hunger too
Poem ©2011 Gabriel Gadfly. Used with permission (and no small amount of gratitude on our part for crafting this one for us!)
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